About 2,000 farmers, grain
handlers and corn exporters have filed lawsuits against Swiss biotechnology
company Syngenta now that a federal judge in Kansas has ruled their cases have
merit to move forward.
The lawsuits allege
Syngenta's introduction of a new genetically-modified corn seed in 2011 interrupted
trade with China and harmed the market for U.S. corn by depressing the
commodity's price. That cost the U.S. corn industry an estimated $1 billion to
$3 billion, reports Canadian Press.
On Sept. 11, U.S. District
Judge John Lungstrum denied Syngenta's motion to dismiss the case rejecting the
company's argument that it had no duty to protect the farmers and other
agribusinesses that handle and trade corn.
A federal court panel
decided in December to consolidate all of the Syngenta cases in Lungstrum's
court in Kansas City, Kansas.
