Syngenta is seeking an appeal in a lawsuit filed by farmers regarding Agrisure Viptera branded corn. The corn contains a biotech trait that at the time of question was not approved for import to China, but was found in U.S. shipments to China in 2013 and 2014. A group of farmers is seeking $5 billion in a lawsuit because they say the discovery of Viptera corn in the export system led China to reject U.S. corn, causing a price collapse of the commodity. The court decision created nine classes within the suit. DTN reports Syngenta is asking for a chance to appeal the decision. All farmers in the U.S. who priced corn for sale after November 18th, 2013, were approved as a major class in the lawsuit. The company is dealing with multiple lawsuits regarding the issue and argues the case is unprecedented given the guarantee that tens of thousands of cases will remain separate from the class. Attorneys for Syngenta said that creating a nationwide class of farmers for the case was not fair because it would include farmers who were not harmed by the trade dispute.
From the National Association of Farm Broadcasting news service.