Kansas jury awards $218M to farmers in Syngenta GMO suit

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A Kansas federal jury awarded nearly $218 million today to farmers who sued Swiss agribusiness giant Syngenta over its introduction of a genetically engineered corn seed variety.

Syngenta vowed to appeal the verdict favoring four Kansas farmers representing roughly 7,300 growers from that state in what served as the first test case of tens of thousands of U.S. lawsuits assailing Syngenta's decision to introduce its Viptera seed strain to the U.S. market before China approved it for imports.

The Kansas trial and a Minnesota one next month involving about 60,000 cases are to serve as bellwether trials, providing guidance for how the complex web of litigation in state and federal courts could be resolved. Attorneys can see how juries react and determine whether to settle other cases or take them to trial.

"This is only the beginning," the Kansas farmers' attorneys said in a statement, calling Friday's verdict "great news" for Kansas and U.S. corn growers. "We look forward to pursuing justice for thousands more corn farmers in the months ahead."

Syngenta began selling Viptera in the U.S. for the 2011 growing season, but China didn't approve it until December 2014. The lawsuits allege Syngenta's move to market the seed variety before China's clearing of it for imports wrecked an increasingly important export market for U.S. corn, causing years of depressed corn prices. Court filings show Syngenta aggressively marketed the seeds even when it knew Chinese approval was going to be a problem.