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The lawsuit against Syngenta about whether or not they released their Viptera trait corn seeds before China had approved the GMO trait was settled last year. Farmers who grew corn from 2013 to 2017, whether they planted the Viptera trait or not, are likely to start receiving notices about how to file to claim their share of the settlement. Farmers who were affected claim that China rejected the majority of United States imports after corn containing the non-approved GMO trait was found among corn that did not have the trait. Inforum reports on the settlement and how affected farmers can claim their share.
Farmers are likely to get the notices in the mail beginning in mid-May telling them how they can claim their share of a $1.51 billion-dollar settlement from agriculture company Syngenta.
The lawsuits, which were filed in 2016 and settled in 2017, allege that Syngenta prematurely released the seeds for the genetically-modified corn before it had the approval of the Chinese government. This led to China stopping the import of United States-grown corn. This affected farmers and grain handlers.
The settlement is to be divided among four plaintiffs:
- Corn growers who did not raise Viptera or Duracede varieties
- Growers who raised Viptera or Duracede varieties
- Grain handlers and grain elevators
- Ethanol producers
One-third of that money could go to the legal teams representing the plaintiffs. This may also be one of the largest agricultural class-action lawsuit settlement.
Once farmers receive notice of their eligibility, they will have until October 12th, 2018 to go to the website www.cornseedsettlement.com to file their claim.
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