Dive Brief:
- Cargill, the leading exporter of U.S. grains and oilseeds, and Bunge, a rival ag-exporting giant, say they will not accept corn for export that is grown with Syngenta's newest generation of GMO seeds.
- At issue is a trait in the seed, called Agrisure Duracade, which is available for planting for the first time this year. Neither China nor the European Union have said they will accept corn with the trait.
- The move comes after China halted imports of some 600,000 metric tons of corn containing an earlier trait, called Agrisure Viptera. Syngenta has waited in vain for two years for China to approve corn grown with Agrisure Viptera seeds.
Dive Insight:
Syngenta has a big problem. In January, the National Grain and Feed Association (NGFA) and North American Export Grain Association (NAEGA) sent a letter to the company urging it to halt sales of Agrisure Duracade and the older Agrisure Viptera. The company, with millions of dollars at stake, declined.
The result is considerable confusion among farmers, who note — correctly — that much of their crop can and will be sold in places other than China and the E.U., but who are also aware of the danger to their industry if contaminated seeds make their way to markets that forbid them.
The only easy answer here was the one farmers won't get: a ban of Syngenta's seeds by Syngenta itself.