Another Viptera lawsuit has been filed against the corn seed giant Syngenta.

Syngenta Corporation is facing a series of cross-contamination allegations from an Iowa corn farmer who claims that his crops were tainted by the GMO corn seed.

Like many corn farmers in America, Plaintiff Marlyn H. was completely dependent on the American corn export market for his livelihood. According to the Syngenta Viptera lawsuit, Marlyn had grown and harvested the GMO corn seed, which he in turned shipped to thousands of local, regional, and terminal distribution centers.

In ideal circumstances, Marlyn’s crop would have eventually entered the foreign export market and contributed to the overall stability to the U.S. corn market and his income. Instead, Marlyn alleges that the Syngenta corn deeply damaged him financially since he was misled by Syngenta that Viptera corn seed was approved in certain countries.

Corn is grown in over 400,000 farms in the United States, with most of the upper Midwest accounting for over half of the country’s corn production in 2012. The Viptera corn contains a genetically modified strain, MIR162, meant to make it more resilient against corn pests like black cut worms.

While GMO corn seed has been decreasing in popularity in the United States, Marlyn and other corn farmers had bought the corn seed with no reason to believe there would be any problems with the export of the corn to other countries, mainly China.

It is important to note that the corn market is a vital part of the American economy, as the United States accounts for nearly 41% of the world’s total corn production.

Overview of Syngenta Corn Seed Allegations

Syngenta is one of several companies selling corn seed to farmers, which developed the infamous Viptera corn in 2009 and the second generation of MIR162 corn Duracade in 2014.

The Viptera corn seed was a considerable investment for Syngenta, with the company taking seven years to release and spending $200 million on its development.

When the first generation of MIR162 corn was released in 2009, it had been approved in the United States, Brazil, Argentina, and other countries. However one of the countries that did not approve of the corn was China, to which Syngenta requested import approval for the corn in 2010 and was denied.

The refusal of the GMO corn by China allegedly devastated American corn farmers as they soon discovered that the Viptera corn seed had been sold to them prematurely. Previously China had been the third largest importer of American corn, buying an average of 2.5 million tons per year.

After the release of the Viptera corn, sales dropped by 85% with China ordering 375,000 tons in 2014. China had eventually approved the MIR162 corn seed on Dec. 15, 2014, after China had stopped importing all American corn products.

Overall the loss in exports has cost American corn farmers $1-$3 billion so far, causing long-term damage in the United States agricultural economy.

The Syngenta Viptera GMO Corn Lawsuit is Case No. 5:15-cv-04250-MWB, in the U.S. District Court of Northern Iowa, Western Division.