In recent farming news, a pair of Arkansas farmers have filed a newSyngenta corn farmer lawsuit in response to a recent drop in corn prices, alleging that Syngenta’s commercialization of MIR162, the Viptera strain of GMO corn, was done despite a clear risk of financial harm to the corn industry.

Syngenta, an agribusiness that produces seeds, has sold a genetically modified (GMO) corn seed called Viptera (MIR162) to U.S. farmers since 2011. This GMO corn strain was created to protect the corn against harmful pests like corn borer and corn rootworm.

The Syngenta lawsuit alleges that Syngenta was aware of the risk to the U.S. corn industry, given the previous high-profile cases around genetically modified or bio-engineered products infiltrating international shipments.

Previous incidents include trade disruptions in 2000, when the U.S. corn supply was contaminated, and in 2006, when genetically modified rice made it into the U.S. rice supply.

Syngenta was, the GMO corn lawsuit claims, aware of these incidents and the resulting need to responsibly introduce the new strain of GMO corn into commerce.

Syngenta Corn Farmer Lawsuits

Rather than working closely with customers and others to ensure the responsible introduction and use of the genetically modified corn strain, the Syngenta lawsuit claim that the agribusiness released the GMO corn seed onto the market despite the fact that China, a major importer of U.S. corn, had not approved the strain for import.

This, the Syngenta lawsuit alleges, led directly to a Chinese ban on U.S. corn imports, which in turn dropped corn prices and severely damaged all aspects of the U.S. corn industry. The lawsuit alleges that corn farmers were particularly hard hit.

According to the recent Syngenta lawsuit, the farmers (collectively known as the Everett Farm Partnership), never knowingly planted Viptera corn in their 150 acres of corn. Nevertheless, the lawsuit alleges, the corn farmers were harmed when Syngenta deliberately misled the public and the corn industry about China’s stance toward the MIR162 Viptera strain.

Syngenta’s GMO Viptera Strain

In 2010, the U.S. Department of Agriculture authorized the introduction of Syngenta’s GMO Viptera strain into the U.S. corn market. While the strain was perfectly legal to use in the U.S. market, the Syngenta lawsuit alleges that China did not approved the strain until October 2014.

In the meantime, China had cut off U.S. corn imports, allegedly to keep Syngenta’s Viptera strain out. This ban affected all levels of the corn industry. Even after the ban was lifted, according to the lawsuit, Chinese imports of U.S. corn drastically decreased – by about 85 percent.

Syngenta has contended that it cannot be held solely responsible for the decline in corn prices, and has filed a third-party lawsuit against other major corn distributors, including Cargill and Archer Daniels. Syngenta alleges that these corn distributors are equally guilty for failing to separate Syngenta’s GMO Viptera strain from corn shipments.

If you have been negatively affected by Syngenta MIR162 or declining corn prices as reported in recent farming news, you may be able to file an individual Syngenta corn lawsuit or join a Syngenta class action lawsuit.

The Syngenta GMO Corn Lawsuit is Everett Farm Partnership, et al., v. Syngenta AG, et al., Case No. 4:15-cv-791-KGB, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas,Western Division.