Syngenta, a seed manufacturing company based in Switzerland with headquarters in Minnesota, is named as a defendant in more than 1,400 lawsuits filed by corn farmers and major exporters who allege that they suffered economic losses in 2013 after China rejected shipments of genetically modified corn containing Syngenta’s Agrisure Viptera.

In April, a panel of federal judges transferred the Syngenta corn lawsuits into a centralized multi-district litigation (MDL) in U.S. District Court in Kansas.

Syngenta Corn Allegations

U.S. corn farmers across the country have filed federal Syngenta corn class action lawsuits accusing Syngenta of causing them to lose more than $1 billion by releasing genetically-engineered Agrisure Viptera corn seeds before China, the largest importer of U.S. corn, approved the seeds and agreed to import them, which did not occur until February 2015.

Syngenta began selling Agrisure Viptera corn seed to U.S. farmers in 2011.

Corn farmers and major exporters want to recoup financial losses incurred due to China’s refusal of U.S. corn imports containing Syngenta’s Agrisure Viptera, which began in November 2014, according to The Wall Street Journal. China’s refusals depressed the overall market price for the grain, resulting in the stupendous loss to farmers.

One Syngenta corn lawsuit states that the company “caused damages to U.S. farmers, grain handlers and exporters” and that “Syngenta’s conduct in marketing, distributing and selling unapproved corn seed violates the legal standards of the marketplace.”

Corn production is a key economic component in the United States’ economy, according to plaintiffs, who note that the U.S. is ranked first in the world in total corn production and exports a significant amount of its crops. “Corn production is of crucial economic importance to the United States,” the Syngenta corn lawsuits state. “The U.S. is ranked first in the world in total corn production and exports a significant amount of its production.”

Plaintiffs are seeking damages for the dip in corn future prices, which dropped by 18 percent in 2014, a second hit from 2013 when prices plummeted by 40 percent. Before the Agrisure Viptera genetically modified corn crisis, 2014 had been forecasted as a good year for corn futures.

Syngenta Corn Lawsuits

Syngenta corn lawsuits and class action lawsuits are being filed by those affected by declining corn prices caused by the Syngenta Viptera GMO corn strain. Potential plaintiffs are corn farmers, corn storage companies, corn exporters, corn brokers or anyone working in the U.S. corn markets.

If you or your business has been affected by Syngenta GMO corn or declining corn prices, you may be eligible for compensation.