In recent Ag news, Syngenta is facing a lawsuit alleging that it caused harm to an Iowa farmer by negligently and releasing the GMO corn seed, known as Viptera, knowing that it lacked approval from China – one of the largest importers of U.S. corn.

Plaintiff Philip C., an Iowa farmer, has filed this Syngenta GMO corn lawsuit alleging that he suffered financial damage because of its Viptera corn seed because it destroyed the export market of U.S. corn to China and other countries.

The Viptera corn lawsuit claims that Syngenta’s reckless decision to bring Viptera to the market caused irreparable damage not only to Philip, but crippled the entire corn export market.

Philip further contends that Syngenta knew that releasing Viptera corn would lead to the contamination of U.S. corn shipments and prevent that corn from being sold to export markets such as China.

Philip is seeking restitution for lost sales and income in excess of $75,000 for Syngenta’s alleged disregard of the consequences of inflicting widespread harm to the U.S. corn market. A jury trial had been requested for this case.

Ag News: Syngenta Viptera Corn Allegations

In recent Ag news, Syngenta lawsuits center around Viptera corn, which was genetically altered to contain a protein MIR162 that reportedly kills corn pests.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture approved it in 2010, and Syngenta first sold it to farmers in 2011 without receiving approval of the GMO corn seed from corn importers, specifically China.

China, the third largest importer of corn in the world, refused to purchase the genetically modified corn because it had not been tested. When China discovered the Viptera corn trait in several U.S. shipments, it immediately rejected all U.S. corn imports, which resulted catastrophic financial losses for many U.S. farmers and related industries.

Viptera Corn Release Leads to Financial Losses

Corn exports are crucial for many Iowa farmers like Philip. The U.S. Agriculture Department had expected Chinese corn imports to grow from 3 million tons in 2012 to an estimated 24.3 million tons by 2023, which would account for 35 percent of the growth in global corn imports during that same time period.

It’s been reported in recent Ag news that trade organizations calculate that China’s rejection of U.S. corn cost farmers more than $1 billion through lower corn prices. Syngenta submitted its bioengineered corn seed to China for approval in March 2010 but China did not approve Viptera corn until December 2014.

Syngenta Corn Lawsuits

Philip is not the only Iowa farmer to file a Viptera corn lawsuit against Syngenta. Hundreds of Iowa farmers and business have similarly filed Viptera lawsuits against the company.

Court records show all of the Viptera lawsuits allege that Syngenta intentionally interfered with the U.S. corn market by making false representations of China Viptera approval that deceived farmers and other consumers.

These Viptera class action lawsuits claim that Syngenta’s marketing of Viptera corn seed to China before China had approved the hybrid corn seed was in deliberate disregard of farmers and done for pure greed.

The Viptera lawsuits also allege that Syngenta’s actions and China’s rejection of all U.S. corn shipments caused farmers, grain distributers and exporters to suffer economic damages and caused a drop in corn prices.

The Syngenta Viptera GMO Corn Lawsuit is Case No. 1:15-cv-00055-JAJ-SBJ, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa.