Anton Farms, Inc. filed a lawsuit against Syngenta Corporation, Syngenta Crop Protection, LLC, and Syngenta Seeds, Inc. for its alleged unlawful practices regarding their genetically modified corn seeds.

Anton Farms asserts that the farm has been damaged by the release ofVipetra, Syngenta’s GMO cornproduct. In general, this release of Vipetra (also known as MIR162 corn) allegedly contaminated the U.S. corn supply and destroyed the ability for it to be exported to China and other countries.

The allegations against Syngenta claim that their seed product has caused massive damage to all involved in the corn industry, from growers to transporters, storage facilities and has affected the import-export market.

Anton Farms brought several allegations against Syngenta. The first court was an alleged violation of the Lanham Act. This act deals with false or misleading advertising and the allegations refer to Syngenta’s nondisclosure that the Vipetra corn had not been approved for import into China.

Syngenta released its MIR162 corn in 2009 and in 2012 China decided to no longer accept U.S. corn due to the shipments containing trace amounts of Vipetra corn. Corn in the U.S. is typically stored and transported with mixed varieties and is not sorted individually, so China halted import on the corn.

It was not until the end of 2014 that China finally lifted its ban on the MIR162 corn, but in the meantime, the corn industry was heavily impacted, as 20% of the exported corn goes to China, as they are the third largest importer.

The allegations in the Syngenta lawsuit also included a count of public nuisance by Syngenta’s contamination of the national corn supply with the MIR162 trait. Trespass to chattels was another count, alleging that Syngenta’s actions affected the whole corn supply as well as the business interests of individuals in the corn industry.

Allegations also included negligence, as the claims states that Syngenta did not take proper care while conducting business and led to issues such as cross-pollination of other corn, China’s zero tolerance for corn with the MIR162 trait and the growing China import market.

The final count in the Syngenta GMO corn lawsuit was tortious interference with prospective business relationships. The allegations stated that Syngenta knew that the plaintiff had business relationships with others in the corn industry and his relationships were damaged and caused economic losses as well.

Anton Farms is seeking a judgment to have Syngenta remediate the corn contamination, a final court judgment on all counts, that the court award monetary damages and compensatory relief to the plaintiff, as well as punitive/exemplary damages and other relief as deemed proper.

The Syngenta Corn Lawsuit is Case No. 6:2015-cv-02049, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Iowa, Eastern Division- Waterloo.