Syngenta
Report calls for Hawaii to clamp down on pesticide use
Hawaii’s legislature should “undertake a major update of [state] pesticide laws and regulation,” says a draft report commissioned by the Hawaii Department of Agriculture, and by Kauai county.
‘Virtually every corn farmer’ could become party to Syngenta lawsuit
When China rejected shiploads of U.S. corn in 2013, it shook the commodity market and spawned hundreds of lawsuits against Syngenta. Harvest Public Media says lawyers involved in the lawsuits "are preparing to ask for the cases to be certified as a class-action lawsuit.
Syngenta workers hospitalized in pesticide incident in Hawaii
Ten employees at Syngenta Kauai were taken to the hospital when they walked onto a corn field 20 hours after the application of chlorpyrifos, reports The Civil Beat. Typically, workers are supposed to wait 24 hours before going back into the fields after a chlorpyrifos spray. Three of the workers stayed overnight at the hospital, but all have since been released and cleared for work.
Monsanto to shutter three research centers
The giant seed company Monsanto will close three research and development centers, in Wisconsin, Connecticut and North Carolina, this year in a cost-cutting move, reports Reuters. About 90 jobs will be eliminated.
Hawaii to expand voluntary pesticide reporting in GMO seed
The Hawaii state Department of Agriculture plans to expand statewide a voluntary program in which major agricultural companies such as Dow, Pioneer, Sygenta and BASF report the types and amounts of restricted-use pesticides that they use each month on Kauai, says Honolulu Civil Beat. Under the "Good Neighbor Program," the companies put a 100-foot buffer zone around pesticide applications and, if requested, notify neighbors before spraying. State agriculture director Scott Enright "said he expects the program to be implemented statewide by the end of the year."
Bulk of lawsuit over Syngenta GE corn heads for trial
A federal judge has decided that the bulk of lawsuits by thousands of farmers against Syngenta over a genetically engineered corn variety will proceed to trial, reports DTN.
Monsanto ends attempt to buy Syngenta
The seed and pesticide giant Monsanto Co. has ended its attempt to buy Syngenta, its Swiss rival, says Deutsche Welle.
The next GMO debate – sprays instead of seeds
Monsanto and competitors such as Bayer and Syngenta are investigating genetic sprays that can temporarily turn off the activity of any gene through a technology called RNA interference, says MIT Technology Review.
Monsanto-Syngenta merger could start chain reaction
If Monsanto pulls off a merger with Syngenta, a leader in one of the remaining major agrochemical companies expects an industry-wide overhaul of strategy, said Bloomberg.
China takes cautious path on GE crops
A top Chinese agriculture official says the world's most populous nation will continue research into genetically engineered crops, and will assure the safety of the technology, Reuters reports.
US, China give priority to ag biotech regulation
At the end of annual trade consultations, officials from China and the United States say they will give attention to their approval processes for genetically engineered crops, said Reuters.
Ending dispute, China clears Syngenta GE corn for import
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack relayed word of Chinese approval Syngenta's MIR 162 corn variety, which has roiled corn sales for months and prompted dozens of lawsuits, says the Financial Times.
Murmurs of China action on Syngenta corn, no official word
Based on comments from industry officials, two news outlets said China has approved Syngenta's biotech MIR 162 corn but Reuters says there was no official word to the U.S. government.
Syngenta expects China to approve GE corn variety
Seed company Syngenta said it expects China will approve "in the near future" a genetically engineered corn variety that is at the root of a dispute over shipments of U.S. corn to the Asian giant, says Dow Jones.
Settlement of Syngenta GE corn suits more likely, say lawyers
Chinese approval of Syngenta's genetically engineered corn "increases the likelihood the seed maker will pay settlements" to farmers and exporters who sued over lost export sales, according to lawyers interviewed by Reuters.
Dow will limit sales of GE seeds to avoid market disruptions
The developer of biotech corn and soybean varieties that tolerate 2,4-D and glyphosate pesticides said it is putting restriction on sales of the seeds to prevent the crops from moving into the marketing channel, said Reuters.
ADM sues Syngenta over rejected GE corn cargoes
ADM, the world's largest corn processor, sued Syngenta in state court in Louisiana over cargoes of corn rejected by China because they contained an unapproved Syngenta variety, said Bloomberg.
Dow had China in mind with US sales plan for new GE seeds
An official at Dow AgroSciences says the company decided to restrict sales of its new genetically engineered Enlist corn and soybeans after "extensive talks with U.S. grain leaders who fear roiling trade with China," says Reuters.