Syngenta fined for GM pesticide in corn
the us environment agency recently slapped a fine of us $1.5 million on the agro-giant Syngenta Seeds Inc for selling seed corn that contained a genetically engineered pesticide.
On December 21, 2006, the Environment Protection Agency (epa) fined the firm for using Bt 10-engineered seed corn, since the pesticide was till then unregistered. It is illegal to distribute unregistered pesticides under the us Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (fifra), 1972. epa had proposed a fine of us $6,071,500, but later on Syngenta's request slashed it by 75 per cent.
The decision comes after a disclosure by Syngenta to epa in December 2004, alerting the watchdog of a possible distribution of Bt 10.The us department of agriculture, and the food and drug administration found the firm guilty and asked it to pay within 60 days.