Syngenta
Encyclopedia
Syngenta AG is a large global Swiss agribusiness
company which notably markets seeds
and pesticides. Syngenta is involved in biotechnology and genomic research. The company is a leader in crop protection, and ranks third in total sales in the commercial agricultural seeds market. Sales in 2010 were approximately US$ 11.6 billion. Syngenta employs over 26,000 people in over 90 countries. Syngenta is listed on both the Swiss stock exchange and in New York
.
Agribusiness and Zeneca
Agrochemicals. Its roots are considerably older.
In 1758 the city’s Johann Rudolf Geigy-Gemuseus began trading in “Materials, Chemicals, Dyes and Drugs of all kinds”. In 1876, Sandoz Laboratories began business in Basel, followed in 1884 by Ciba. These three companies ultimately became Novartis in 1995. Ciba-Geigy, formed in 1971, had concentrated mainly on crop protection in its agro division, Sandoz more on seeds.
Zeneca Agrochemicals was part of AstraZeneca
, and formerly of Imperial Chemical Industries
. ICI was formed in the UK in 1926. Two years later, work began at the Agricultural Research Station at Jealott’s Hill near Bracknell
.
In 2004, Syngenta Seeds purchased the North American corn and soybean business of Advanta, as well as Garst and Golden Harvest.
In 2005, Syngenta opposed a Swiss ban on genetically engineered organisms.
In 2007, Syngenta's Canadian division was named one of Canada's Top 100 Employers
, as published in Maclean's
magazine, one of only a handful of agribusiness firms to receive this honour.
On 21 October 2007, a Brazilian peasant organization, the Landless Workers' Movement
, led a group of landless farmers in an occupation of one of the company's seed research farms, in protest against genetically-engineered ("genetically modified") vegetables and in hopes of obtaining land for landless families to cultivate. After the occupation had begun, a group of gunmen arrived in a minibus and attacked the protesters. A security guard was killed, various protesters were wounded, and Valmir Mota de Oliveira, known as Keno, was found dead, "killed execution-style by two shots to the chest" according to some reports "at the centre of a bitter dispute".
Protesters and sympathizers (including Sarah Wilson, of Christian Aid
) claimed that the gunmen were under orders of Syngenta to kill the occupiers, but the company says that the guards of the security company they contracted were not allowed to carry guns. The MST claimed further that NF Security was a front company controlled by rural producer organizations linked to the agribusiness. Amnesty International expressed concern, and said that threats and intimidation by gunmen hired by landowners and agricultural companies are a common occurrence in Paraná.
The police investigation completed in February 2008 implicated MST members and employees of NF Security but not Syngenta.
The Civil Court of Cascavel granted an order for the repossession of the site on December 20, 2007. On June 12, 2008, the remaining MST members left the Santa Teresa site they had been occupying. On October 14, 2008, Syngenta announced donation of the 123-hectare station to the Agronomy Institute of Paraná (IAPAR). IAPAR will use the site for research into biodiversity, recovery of degraded areas and agriculture production systems, as well as environmental education programs.
Pesticides:
Seeds:
In 2003, more than half of Syngenta sales came from selective herbicides and fungicides.
Key Syngenta brands include Aatrex (atrazine
), Actara, Amistar (azoxystrobin
), Callisto, Cruiser (TMX, Thiamethoxam
), Daconil (Chlorothalonil
), DualGold, Golden Harvest, Garst, Northrup-King
(NK), Rogers
, S&G, Gramoxone (paraquat
), and Vigor (TMX, Thiamethoxam
).
TMX (Thiamethoxam
), an insecticide of second generation of the class of the neonicotinoids is patented by Syngenta.
Syngenta finances the Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture. This non-profit organization supports sustainable food security projects in a number of countries.
Some of Syngenta's main competitors are: Monsanto Company, BASF
, Dow AgroSciences
, Bayer CropScience and DuPont
.
In 2007, Queensland University in Australia contracted with Syngenta to research different inputs for biofuels as a renewable energy source.
. The other Directors are Peggy Bruzelius, Michael Mack, Pierre Landolt, Stefan Borgas, David Lawrence, Peter Thompson, Jacques Vincent
, Rolf Watter, Felix Weber
, and Juerg Witmer.
Changes in 2007/2008
Michael Pragnell, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Member of the Board, retired from Syngenta. On January 1 2008 Michael Mack became the new Chief Executive Officer. He was also elected as a new member of the Syngenta Board of Directors in 2008.
There were a series of fatalities due to accidental consumption of the company’s herbicide, Gramoxone (Paraquat
), in the 1960s. In the 1970s and 80s, there was also a number of suicides using the product. The herbicide, which is dangerous if ingested, now has a blue dye, a foul odor, and a powerful emetic to help prevent mistakes and discourage misuse.
Atrazine has been banned in several Wisconsin
counties in the United States and in the European Union
. Syngenta has been accused of attempting to block the publication of UC Berkeley Professor Tyrone Hayes
's work on Atrazine. Dr. Hayes claims he resigned his contractor position with Syngenta after they refused to allow him to publish the results of studies they had funded. He obtained independent funding to repeat the research and then published the results. Tyrone Hayes
's original research found that Atrazine caused hermaphroditism in frogs.
However, EPA and its independent Scientific Advisory Panel (SAP) examined all available studies on this topic - including Hayes' work - and concluded there is "currently insufficient data" to determine if atrazine may affect amphibian development. As required by the EPA, Syngenta conducted two experiments under Good Laboratory Practices (GLP) and inspection by the USEPA and German regulatory authorities. In 2007 the EPA held another Scientific Advisory Panel (SAP) on the topic and concluded "that atrazine does not adversely affect amphibian gonadal development".
Syngenta's Galecron (Chlordimeform
)insecticide has been questioned for its possible relationship to bladder cancer and other illnesses. Production of Galecron stopped between 1976 and 1978 for new safety assessments and then halted permanently in 1988 after more research showed potential risk. In a 1995 class action in the US, Ciba-Geigy agreed to cover costs for employee health monitoring and treatment. In 2005, Syngenta reported that employee health monitoring was continuing at the company's Monthey, Switzerland site.
In 2001, the United States Patent and Trademark Office
ruled in favor of Syngenta when the company filed suit against Bayer to protect its patent on a class of neonicotinoid insecticides. The following year Syngenta filed suit against Monsanto and a number of other companies claiming infringement of its U.S. biotechnology patents covering transgenic corn and cotton.
In 2004, the company again filed suit against Monsanto, claiming antitrust violations related to the U.S. biotech corn seed market.
In September 2008 Syngenta's U.S. subsidiaries announced settlements with the United States Environmental Protection Agency
totalling $284,000. In various separate cases, the company had been alleged to have failed to store PPE
away from areas contaminated with pesticides; distributed its mesotrione
wet paste herbicide
with a chemical composition different to that registered with the EPA; and violated rules governing the advertisement of restricted-use pesticides.
In October 2008 Syngenta was found guilty of wrongful termination in a federal lawsuit
in Baltimore
, Maryland
. A female employee who complained to management about an abusive manager was terminated after the complaint was filed. A jury
awarded her $1.85 million.
On May 8, 2009 the judge in the case awarded the woman an additional $244,113.24 in legal fees. The judge, Benson Everett Legg, noted in his order that the counsel for the defense, Whiteford, Taylor and Preston, had billed Syngenta $264,003 for 2,025.5 hours of work. The judge ruled that the fees charged by the counsel for the plaintiff were reasonable.
The Syngenta legal record also includes citations by regulators, NGOs, and individuals for health issues related to its products.
Syngenta was condemned in May 2010 by the Permanent People's Tribunal, Madrid, for human rights violations in Brazil. The case involved the killing of Valmir Mota de Oliveira (aka Keno) and injuries to other workers by private security firm NF Security, hired by Syngenta to evict approximately 200 rural workers from one of their sites. Protestors had occupied the site in protest against the corporation's violation of Brazilian environmental laws in the Iguaçu National Park region, a UNESCO World Heritage area. A September 2007 Federal Police investigation of NF Security concluded that "it was established that the company NF Security recruits private security guards who carry out evictions (...) the majority of people contracted by the company have neither the capacity nor the authorization to work as private security guards, and are acting as such illegally." Although Syngenta denies knowing that security guards were armed, there are clear indications in the police investigation that the company in fact knew they were armed.
(IPM), Integrated Crop Management (ICM) and Total Crop Management (TCM).
The Syngenta Foundation addressed the World Food Day Symposium in 2005 as an output of the Millennium Ecosystem Report.
, as announced in the Waterloo Region Record, Guelph Mercury
and Cambridge Times
. In 2011, Syngenta was named among the top 10 employers in biotechnology by Science magazine. The company was also recognized by the 2011 Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) as one of the best performing chemical companies worldwide. Syngenta was one of only five chemical companies in the World and Europe indices based on economic, social and environmental performance.
Agribusiness
In agriculture, agribusiness is a generic term for the various businesses involved in food production, including farming and contract farming, seed supply, agrichemicals, farm machinery, wholesale and distribution, processing, marketing, and retail sales....
company which notably markets seeds
SEEDS
SEEDS is a voluntary organisation registered under the Societies Act of India....
and pesticides. Syngenta is involved in biotechnology and genomic research. The company is a leader in crop protection, and ranks third in total sales in the commercial agricultural seeds market. Sales in 2010 were approximately US$ 11.6 billion. Syngenta employs over 26,000 people in over 90 countries. Syngenta is listed on both the Swiss stock exchange and in New York
New York Stock Exchange
The New York Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located at 11 Wall Street in Lower Manhattan, New York City, USA. It is by far the world's largest stock exchange by market capitalization of its listed companies at 13.39 trillion as of Dec 2010...
.
History
Based in Basel, Switzerland, Syngenta was formed in 2000 by the merger of NovartisNovartis
Novartis International AG is a multinational pharmaceutical company based in Basel, Switzerland, ranking number three in sales among the world-wide industry...
Agribusiness and Zeneca
Zeneca
Zeneca Group PLC was a multinational pharmaceutical company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. Zeneca was formed in June 1993 by the demerger of the pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals businesses of Imperial Chemical Industries into a separate company listed on the London Stock Exchange.In 1999...
Agrochemicals. Its roots are considerably older.
In 1758 the city’s Johann Rudolf Geigy-Gemuseus began trading in “Materials, Chemicals, Dyes and Drugs of all kinds”. In 1876, Sandoz Laboratories began business in Basel, followed in 1884 by Ciba. These three companies ultimately became Novartis in 1995. Ciba-Geigy, formed in 1971, had concentrated mainly on crop protection in its agro division, Sandoz more on seeds.
Zeneca Agrochemicals was part of AstraZeneca
AstraZeneca
AstraZeneca plc is a global pharmaceutical and biologics company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's seventh-largest pharmaceutical company measured by revenues and has operations in over 100 countries...
, and formerly of Imperial Chemical Industries
Imperial Chemical Industries
Imperial Chemical Industries was a British chemical company, taken over by AkzoNobel, a Dutch conglomerate, one of the largest chemical producers in the world. In its heyday, ICI was the largest manufacturing company in the British Empire, and commonly regarded as a "bellwether of the British...
. ICI was formed in the UK in 1926. Two years later, work began at the Agricultural Research Station at Jealott’s Hill near Bracknell
Bracknell
Bracknell is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Bracknell Forest in Berkshire, England. It lies to the south-east of Reading, southwest of Windsor and west of central London...
.
In 2004, Syngenta Seeds purchased the North American corn and soybean business of Advanta, as well as Garst and Golden Harvest.
In 2005, Syngenta opposed a Swiss ban on genetically engineered organisms.
In 2007, Syngenta's Canadian division was named one of Canada's Top 100 Employers
Canada's Top 100 Employers
Canada's Top 100 Employers is an annual competition that recognizes the best places in Canada to work. First held in 1999, the project aims to single out the employers that lead their industries in offering exceptional working conditions and progressive human resources policies. Winners are...
, as published in Maclean's
Maclean's
Maclean's is a Canadian weekly news magazine, reporting on Canadian issues such as politics, pop culture, and current events.-History:Founded in 1905 by Toronto journalist/entrepreneur Lt.-Col. John Bayne Maclean, a 43-year-old trade magazine publisher who purchased an advertising agency's in-house...
magazine, one of only a handful of agribusiness firms to receive this honour.
On 21 October 2007, a Brazilian peasant organization, the Landless Workers' Movement
Landless Workers' Movement
Landless Workers' Movement is a social movement in Brazil; it is the second largest social movement in Latin America with an estimated 1.5 million landless members in 23 out of Brazil's 26 states. The MST states it carries out land reform in a country it sees as mired by unjust land distribution...
, led a group of landless farmers in an occupation of one of the company's seed research farms, in protest against genetically-engineered ("genetically modified") vegetables and in hopes of obtaining land for landless families to cultivate. After the occupation had begun, a group of gunmen arrived in a minibus and attacked the protesters. A security guard was killed, various protesters were wounded, and Valmir Mota de Oliveira, known as Keno, was found dead, "killed execution-style by two shots to the chest" according to some reports "at the centre of a bitter dispute".
Protesters and sympathizers (including Sarah Wilson, of Christian Aid
Christian Aid
Christian Aid is the official relief and development agency of 40 British and Irish churches and works to support sustainable development, alleviate poverty, support civil society and provide disaster relief in South America, the Caribbean, the Middle East, Africa and Asia...
) claimed that the gunmen were under orders of Syngenta to kill the occupiers, but the company says that the guards of the security company they contracted were not allowed to carry guns. The MST claimed further that NF Security was a front company controlled by rural producer organizations linked to the agribusiness. Amnesty International expressed concern, and said that threats and intimidation by gunmen hired by landowners and agricultural companies are a common occurrence in Paraná.
The police investigation completed in February 2008 implicated MST members and employees of NF Security but not Syngenta.
The Civil Court of Cascavel granted an order for the repossession of the site on December 20, 2007. On June 12, 2008, the remaining MST members left the Santa Teresa site they had been occupying. On October 14, 2008, Syngenta announced donation of the 123-hectare station to the Agronomy Institute of Paraná (IAPAR). IAPAR will use the site for research into biodiversity, recovery of degraded areas and agriculture production systems, as well as environmental education programs.
Products
Syngenta has eight primary product lines. The company develops, markets and sells these worldwide:Pesticides:
- Selective HerbicideHerbicideHerbicides, also commonly known as weedkillers, are pesticides used to kill unwanted plants. Selective herbicides kill specific targets while leaving the desired crop relatively unharmed. Some of these act by interfering with the growth of the weed and are often synthetic "imitations" of plant...
s - Non-selective Herbicides
- FungicideFungicideFungicides are chemical compounds or biological organisms used to kill or inhibit fungi or fungal spores. Fungi can cause serious damage in agriculture, resulting in critical losses of yield, quality and profit. Fungicides are used both in agriculture and to fight fungal infections in animals...
s - InsecticideInsecticideAn insecticide is a pesticide used against insects. They include ovicides and larvicides used against the eggs and larvae of insects respectively. Insecticides are used in agriculture, medicine, industry and the household. The use of insecticides is believed to be one of the major factors behind...
s - Professional Products
Seeds:
- Field Crops
- Vegetables
- Flowers
In 2003, more than half of Syngenta sales came from selective herbicides and fungicides.
Key Syngenta brands include Aatrex (atrazine
Atrazine
Atrazine, 2-chloro-4--6--s-triazine, an organic compound consisting of an s-triazine-ring is a widely used herbicide. Its use is controversial due to widespread contamination in drinking water and its associations with birth defects and menstrual problems when consumed by humans at concentrations...
), Actara, Amistar (azoxystrobin
Azoxystrobin
Azoxystrobin is a fungicide commonly used in agriculture. The substance is used as an active agent protecting plants and fruit/vegetables from fungal diseases.-Origin:...
), Callisto, Cruiser (TMX, Thiamethoxam
Thiamethoxam
Thiamethoxam is an insecticide in the class of neonicotinoids. It has a broad spectrum of activity against many types of insects.-History:Thiamethoxam was developed by Syngenta but a patent dispute arose with Bayer which already had patents covering other neonicotinoids including imidacloprid...
), Daconil (Chlorothalonil
Chlorothalonil
Chlorothalonil is a polychlorinated aromatic mainly used as a broad spectrum, non-systemic fungicide, with other uses as a wood protectant, pesticide, acaricide, and to control mold, mildew, bacteria, algae. Chlorothalonil-containing products are sold under the names Bravo, Echo, and Daconil. It...
), DualGold, Golden Harvest, Garst, Northrup-King
Northrup-King
Northrup-King Seed Company was founded in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1896, and was based in Minneapolis until it was acquired and moved to Golden Valley, Minnesota in 1986. It is now a division of Syngenta....
(NK), Rogers
Rogers
-Places:Canada*Rogers Island *Rogers PassUnited States*Rogers, Arkansas*Rogers, California*Rogers, California, alternate name of Muroc, California*Rogers, Minnesota*Rogers, Nebraska*Rogers, Ohio*Rogers, Virginia*Rogers City, Michigan...
, S&G, Gramoxone (paraquat
Paraquat
Paraquat is the trade name for N,N′-dimethyl-4,4′-bipyridinium dichloride, one of the most widely used herbicides in the world. Paraquat, a viologen, is quick-acting and non-selective, killing green plant tissue on contact. It is also toxic to human beings and animals...
), and Vigor (TMX, Thiamethoxam
Thiamethoxam
Thiamethoxam is an insecticide in the class of neonicotinoids. It has a broad spectrum of activity against many types of insects.-History:Thiamethoxam was developed by Syngenta but a patent dispute arose with Bayer which already had patents covering other neonicotinoids including imidacloprid...
).
TMX (Thiamethoxam
Thiamethoxam
Thiamethoxam is an insecticide in the class of neonicotinoids. It has a broad spectrum of activity against many types of insects.-History:Thiamethoxam was developed by Syngenta but a patent dispute arose with Bayer which already had patents covering other neonicotinoids including imidacloprid...
), an insecticide of second generation of the class of the neonicotinoids is patented by Syngenta.
Syngenta finances the Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture. This non-profit organization supports sustainable food security projects in a number of countries.
Some of Syngenta's main competitors are: Monsanto Company, BASF
BASF
BASF SE is the largest chemical company in the world and is headquartered in Germany. BASF originally stood for Badische Anilin- und Soda-Fabrik . Today, the four letters are a registered trademark and the company is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, London Stock Exchange, and Zurich Stock...
, Dow AgroSciences
Dow AgroSciences
Dow AgroSciences LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Dow Chemical Company specializing in not only agricultural chemicals such as pesticides, but also seeds and biotechnology solutions. The company is based in Indianapolis, Indiana, in the United States...
, Bayer CropScience and DuPont
DuPont
E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company , commonly referred to as DuPont, is an American chemical company that was founded in July 1802 as a gunpowder mill by Eleuthère Irénée du Pont. DuPont was the world's third largest chemical company based on market capitalization and ninth based on revenue in 2009...
.
Biofuels
Like many ag-companies, Syngenta also works in the bio-fuel space.In 2007, Queensland University in Australia contracted with Syngenta to research different inputs for biofuels as a renewable energy source.
Board of directors
Syngenta is led by Chairman Martin TaylorMartin Taylor (businessman)
Martin Taylor is a businessman and former chief executive of Barclays Bank. He is currently Chairman of Syngenta AG.-Career:He joined Reuters as a journalist in 1974, before moving to the Financial Times in 1978, where he edited the paper's Lex column.In 1984, he joined the board of Courtaulds,...
. The other Directors are Peggy Bruzelius, Michael Mack, Pierre Landolt, Stefan Borgas, David Lawrence, Peter Thompson, Jacques Vincent
Jacques Vincent
Jacques Vincent is currently the Vice Chairman and Chief Operating Officer of the Groupe Danone since 1998.-References:...
, Rolf Watter, Felix Weber
Felix Weber
Felix Weber is a German producer, songwriter and arranger.At the age of 6 Felix started a professional classical piano training. When 14 he played in his first garage band and when 17 he toured with an American cover band through the US army clubs in Bavaria, performing for American soldiers...
, and Juerg Witmer.
Changes in 2007/2008
Michael Pragnell, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Member of the Board, retired from Syngenta. On January 1 2008 Michael Mack became the new Chief Executive Officer. He was also elected as a new member of the Syngenta Board of Directors in 2008.
Legal issues and controversies
Syngenta and its predecessor companies have been involved in numerous legal actions over the years.There were a series of fatalities due to accidental consumption of the company’s herbicide, Gramoxone (Paraquat
Paraquat
Paraquat is the trade name for N,N′-dimethyl-4,4′-bipyridinium dichloride, one of the most widely used herbicides in the world. Paraquat, a viologen, is quick-acting and non-selective, killing green plant tissue on contact. It is also toxic to human beings and animals...
), in the 1960s. In the 1970s and 80s, there was also a number of suicides using the product. The herbicide, which is dangerous if ingested, now has a blue dye, a foul odor, and a powerful emetic to help prevent mistakes and discourage misuse.
Atrazine has been banned in several Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
counties in the United States and in the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
. Syngenta has been accused of attempting to block the publication of UC Berkeley Professor Tyrone Hayes
Tyrone Hayes
Tyrone B. Hayes is a biologist at University of California, Berkeley. He is perhaps best known for his work on the effects of atrazine on frogs, causing demasculinization in Northern Leopard Frogs....
's work on Atrazine. Dr. Hayes claims he resigned his contractor position with Syngenta after they refused to allow him to publish the results of studies they had funded. He obtained independent funding to repeat the research and then published the results. Tyrone Hayes
Tyrone Hayes
Tyrone B. Hayes is a biologist at University of California, Berkeley. He is perhaps best known for his work on the effects of atrazine on frogs, causing demasculinization in Northern Leopard Frogs....
's original research found that Atrazine caused hermaphroditism in frogs.
However, EPA and its independent Scientific Advisory Panel (SAP) examined all available studies on this topic - including Hayes' work - and concluded there is "currently insufficient data" to determine if atrazine may affect amphibian development. As required by the EPA, Syngenta conducted two experiments under Good Laboratory Practices (GLP) and inspection by the USEPA and German regulatory authorities. In 2007 the EPA held another Scientific Advisory Panel (SAP) on the topic and concluded "that atrazine does not adversely affect amphibian gonadal development".
Syngenta's Galecron (Chlordimeform
Chlordimeform
Chlordimeform is an acaricide and is active mainly against motile forms of mites and ticks and against eggs and early instars of some Lepidoptera insects. Its use has ceased and its registration has been withdrawn in most countries....
)insecticide has been questioned for its possible relationship to bladder cancer and other illnesses. Production of Galecron stopped between 1976 and 1978 for new safety assessments and then halted permanently in 1988 after more research showed potential risk. In a 1995 class action in the US, Ciba-Geigy agreed to cover costs for employee health monitoring and treatment. In 2005, Syngenta reported that employee health monitoring was continuing at the company's Monthey, Switzerland site.
In 2001, the United States Patent and Trademark Office
United States Patent and Trademark Office
The United States Patent and Trademark Office is an agency in the United States Department of Commerce that issues patents to inventors and businesses for their inventions, and trademark registration for product and intellectual property identification.The USPTO is based in Alexandria, Virginia,...
ruled in favor of Syngenta when the company filed suit against Bayer to protect its patent on a class of neonicotinoid insecticides. The following year Syngenta filed suit against Monsanto and a number of other companies claiming infringement of its U.S. biotechnology patents covering transgenic corn and cotton.
In 2004, the company again filed suit against Monsanto, claiming antitrust violations related to the U.S. biotech corn seed market.
In September 2008 Syngenta's U.S. subsidiaries announced settlements with the United States Environmental Protection Agency
United States Environmental Protection Agency
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is an agency of the federal government of the United States charged with protecting human health and the environment, by writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress...
totalling $284,000. In various separate cases, the company had been alleged to have failed to store PPE
Personal protective equipment
Personal protective equipment refers to protective clothing, helmets, goggles, or other garment or equipment designed to protect the wearer's body from injury by blunt impacts, electrical hazards, heat, chemicals, and infection, for job-related occupational safety and health purposes, and in...
away from areas contaminated with pesticides; distributed its mesotrione
Mesotrione
Mesotrione is an herbicide sold under the brand names Callisto and Tenacity. It is a synthetic analog of leptospermone developed to mimic the effects of this natural herbicide. Mesotrione works by inhibiting the plant enzyme 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase which is necessary for carotenoid...
wet paste herbicide
Herbicide
Herbicides, also commonly known as weedkillers, are pesticides used to kill unwanted plants. Selective herbicides kill specific targets while leaving the desired crop relatively unharmed. Some of these act by interfering with the growth of the weed and are often synthetic "imitations" of plant...
with a chemical composition different to that registered with the EPA; and violated rules governing the advertisement of restricted-use pesticides.
In October 2008 Syngenta was found guilty of wrongful termination in a federal lawsuit
Lawsuit
A lawsuit or "suit in law" is a civil action brought in a court of law in which a plaintiff, a party who claims to have incurred loss as a result of a defendant's actions, demands a legal or equitable remedy. The defendant is required to respond to the plaintiff's complaint...
in Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
. A female employee who complained to management about an abusive manager was terminated after the complaint was filed. A jury
Jury
A jury is a sworn body of people convened to render an impartial verdict officially submitted to them by a court, or to set a penalty or judgment. Modern juries tend to be found in courts to ascertain the guilt, or lack thereof, in a crime. In Anglophone jurisdictions, the verdict may be guilty,...
awarded her $1.85 million.
On May 8, 2009 the judge in the case awarded the woman an additional $244,113.24 in legal fees. The judge, Benson Everett Legg, noted in his order that the counsel for the defense, Whiteford, Taylor and Preston, had billed Syngenta $264,003 for 2,025.5 hours of work. The judge ruled that the fees charged by the counsel for the plaintiff were reasonable.
The Syngenta legal record also includes citations by regulators, NGOs, and individuals for health issues related to its products.
Syngenta was condemned in May 2010 by the Permanent People's Tribunal, Madrid, for human rights violations in Brazil. The case involved the killing of Valmir Mota de Oliveira (aka Keno) and injuries to other workers by private security firm NF Security, hired by Syngenta to evict approximately 200 rural workers from one of their sites. Protestors had occupied the site in protest against the corporation's violation of Brazilian environmental laws in the Iguaçu National Park region, a UNESCO World Heritage area. A September 2007 Federal Police investigation of NF Security concluded that "it was established that the company NF Security recruits private security guards who carry out evictions (...) the majority of people contracted by the company have neither the capacity nor the authorization to work as private security guards, and are acting as such illegally." Although Syngenta denies knowing that security guards were armed, there are clear indications in the police investigation that the company in fact knew they were armed.
Farmers Support Team
Syngenta sponsors several agricultural programs in developing nations. SFI created its flagship program, the Farmer Support Team (FST). The FST is a nationwide program in the Philippine archipelago. It works with farmers in all the major rice, fruit, and vegetable production provinces of the country. It began by helping Filipino farmers gain greater understanding and achieve higher productivity through trainings in Integrated Pest ManagementIntegrated Pest Management
Integrated pest management is an ecological approach to agricultural pest control that integrates pesticides/herbicides into a management system incorporating a range of practices for economic control of a pest...
(IPM), Integrated Crop Management (ICM) and Total Crop Management (TCM).
Syngenta Foundation
The objectives and goals of the Syngenta Foundation are "to work with rural communities in the semiarid regions of the world and improve their livelihoods."The Syngenta Foundation addressed the World Food Day Symposium in 2005 as an output of the Millennium Ecosystem Report.
Awards and community involvement
In October 2008, Syngenta Crop Protection Canada, Inc. was recognized as one of Waterloo Area's Top EmployersWaterloo Area's Top Employers
Waterloo Area's Top Employers is an annual competition that recognizes the best places to work in Canada's Technology Triangle, which is generally described as the Kitchener-Waterloo Area together with the cities of Guelph and Cambridge, Ontario...
, as announced in the Waterloo Region Record, Guelph Mercury
Guelph Mercury
The Guelph Mercury is an English language newspaper published in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. It publishes a mix of community, national and international news and is owned by the Torstar Corporation. The newspaper, in many incarnations, has been a part of the community since 1854...
and Cambridge Times
Cambridge Times
Cambridge Times is a local newspaper in Southern Ontario serving the community of Cambridge, Ontario. The paper replaced the Cambridge Reporter as the local paper under the Metroland Media Group and owned Torstar Corporation.-History:...
. In 2011, Syngenta was named among the top 10 employers in biotechnology by Science magazine. The company was also recognized by the 2011 Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) as one of the best performing chemical companies worldwide. Syngenta was one of only five chemical companies in the World and Europe indices based on economic, social and environmental performance.