Syngenta files suit against Bunge on Agrisure Viptera trait issue

Syngenta in North America filed a complaint in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Iowa against Bunge North America ("Bunge") for having violated a number of Federal and State laws.

Syngenta alleges Bunge is attempting to block the legal merchandising of the Agrisure Viptera trait, which was launched in compliance with all U.S. regulatory requirements as well as industry guidelines for commercialization.

"We are taking this action to remove the illegal impediment Bunge imposed on growers when they announced mid-season that they would not accept grain enhanced by the Agrisure Viptera trait," said David Morgan, president, Syngenta Seeds, Inc. "When a product has been legally approved, growers should be able to use that technology without subsequently being subjected to arbitrary actions."

"Our first priority is growers," said Morgan. "Growers inherently face a myriad of risks and Bunge's decision to change grain specifications when farmers had already planted their corn is unacceptable. We are working with farmers who are impacted by this decision to help them find alternatives for delivering their grain."

Syngenta received deregulation from the USDA for the Agrisure Viptera trait in April 2010. Since then, the technology has been approved for cultivation in Canada, Argentina and Brazil, and for import in the key markets of Australia, Brazil, Canada, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, the Philippines, Korea and Taiwan. Approval of the trait is pending in China and is expected early 2012.

The Agrisure Viptera trait provides unsurpassed control of 14 yield- and quality-robbing insects including corn borer, corn rootworm and the multi-pest complex, a collection of insects that cost American corn growers more than $1.1 billion annually in lost yield and grain quality. The trait became commercially available to U.S. corn growers for 2011 planting.