December 3, 2014 — Courthouse News reports that at least three states have filed class action lawsuits against Syngenta AG, accusing the Swiss company of destroying American corn exports by selling Viptera, a genetically modified (GMO) seed, before it was approved in China.
In addition, a group of twelve farmers are seeking class action status for a lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri.
None of the farmers actually planted Viptera, but they lost money when the price of American corn plummeted after China banned imports of GMO-tainted corn seed, according to the St. Louis Business Journal.
Members of the litigation claim that Syngenta “destroyed the export of U.S. corn to China and caused depressed prices for all domestic corn.” Syngenta is also accused of misleading American farmers about the approval of GMO corn in China.
Syngenta began selling Viptera in the United States in 2011. That same year, they sued Bunge North America, a grain elevator company, for refusing to accept Viptera.
The problem is that it is nearly impossible to prevent cross-contamination of GMO and non-GMO corn seed on shared grain elevators. Only about 3% of corn fields in the United States were planted with GMO corn, but much of the country’s supply was contaminated due to cross-pollination on adjacent fields and cross-contamination during storage and shipment.
China rejected about 1.4 million metric tons of American corn after finding trace amounts of Viptera. This resulted in an 85% drop in Chinese imports of American corn, resulting in billions of dollars in economic losses for American farmers, most of whom never planted the seed.
Do I have a GMO Corn Seed Lawsuit?
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting Syngenta Viptera GMO corn seed induced economic loss cases in all 50 states. If you are a farmer who lost money on corn exports, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Class Action Litigation Group or call toll free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.
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