News

First Viptera class-action trial scheduled for June

The first trial in a number of class-action lawsuits against Syngenta over the release of its Viptera corn trait is scheduled for early June.

The trial will take place in a federal court in Kansas City, Kansas.

Syngenta is facing several lawsuits regarding the MIR162 biotech trait, released under the name Agrisure Viptera in 2010. The lawsuits claim Syngenta’s release of the technology, which was not approved for import by China at the time, caused significant losses to corn farmers across the U.S. China rejected several loads of U.S. corn containing the trait, a move the farmers claim depressed corn prices.

Syngenta has argued that the lawsuits lack merit.

According to DTN, other Viptera class-action trials are pending in the Kansas court, in a Minnesota state court and in other courts as well.