Spotlight

Syngenta AG is one of the largest agribusiness companies in the world. The company is known for its manufacturing of agrochemicals, plant biotechnology patents, and is one of the largest seed suppliers in the world. Syngenta’s seed portfolio includes more than 200 product lines and over 5,000 proprietary genetics. Its chemical products, especially atrazine, a widely used herbicide in the US, has been known to have negative health impacts both on the environment, animals, and people. As of 2018, the company operated 100 production and supply sites and has 111 research and development sites located in over 90 countries. In 2016 China National Chemical Corporation (ChemChina) agreed to buy Syngenta for $43 billion. In 2017, the deal was completed, and Syngenta was bought by ChemChina in China’s biggest overseas deal to date. This marks one of the greatest mergers in the industry, a move that further consolidates control of the global agrochemical market. The company reported $20.33 billion in total assets and $6.15 billion in gross profit for fiscal year 2017.

The purchase of Syngenta by ChemChina was motivated by China’s desire to use Syngenta’s portfolio of chemicals and patent-protected seeds to improve domestic agricultural production in China.

Syngenta invests around $1.3 billion a year in research and development which includes chemistry, breeding, genetics, and computational science.

In 2018, Syngenta AG was sued by US farmers over the company’s decision to commercialize a genetically modified strain of corn before China approved of importing the strain, which led to Chinese authorities rejecting millions of tons of US corn imports. The farmers’ lawsuit is believed to be the largest agricultural class action settlement in US history, amounting to $1.51 billion.

Syngenta operates 30 research and development sites in North America; 12 in Latin America; 44 in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East; and 25 in the Asia Pacific.

The impact of some of Syngenta’s agricultural chemicals on certain species has been established, such as the pollen from the company’s genetically modified BT176 corn, which can no longer be used in the US. The corn pollen was known to kill caterpillars of the European Swallowtail butterfly.

Syngenta is a world leader in the development of commercial crops that incorporate Genetic Use Restriction Technologies (GURTs). GURTs enable biotech companies to retain control and ownership over their products even after they have been sold to farmers. For example, the “Terminator” technology, is used to make crops that generate a sterile seed, which forces farmers to return to the biotech company to purchase new seeds every year. Another GURTs application, the “Traitor” technology, enables the control of particular plant characteristics, such as a plant ripening, and can be switched on and off with the application of a proprietary (or biotech company licensed) chemical. If commercialized, GURTs will lock farmers across the world into a cycle that forces the farmers to buy new patented seeds every year, or to switch chemicals from biotech companies every year.

Syngenta has gone to extreme lengths to manipulate research to advance its own interests and profit margins. A case in point, Tyrone Hayes, a professor of Integrative Biology at the University of California, Berkeley, discovered that the herbicide atrazine, a product of Syngenta, may have harmful effects on the endocrine system. Following the discover, the company launched a campaign to discredit his work. The company refused to publish his findings, and attempted to smear his reputation to prevent the US Environmental Protection Agency from banning the chemical, which was already banned in the EU. The research Hayes and other scientists published was used in a class action lawsuit against Syngenta by 15 water providers in Illinois. The lawsuit was settled for $105 million in May 2012, and was used to reimburse more than 1,000 water systems for the costs of removing atrazine from drinking water.

In 2007, The Brazilian Landless Rural Workers’ Movement (MST) and the global peasant movement La Via Campesina occupied the Syngenta farm in Brazil in the southern state of Parana. The groups were in protest of the company’s use of genetically modified seeds, and for the corporation’s use of the land. Valmir Motta, one of the leaders of the MST was shot and killed, and a security guard who was hired by the company to protect the farm was also killed in the clashes. Following the incident, Syngenta handed over the farm to the Brazilian state in October of 2008, and the Brazilian government promised to return the land back to the people for the production of native seeds for distribution to small holder farmers.

At a Glance

Founded

1758, Switzerland

Headquarters

Basel, Switzerland

Corporation Type

Primary; Public

Number of Employees

27,669

Major Industries

Pesticides; GMO Seeds

Total Revenue

$12.64 billion for FY 2017

Activity Map

Explore the map to discover where this corporation operates around the globe.

Blue: Active Countries

Industries

Find out which food-related industries this corporation is involved with–from food production to consumption.

Agricultural Chemical Manufacturing

Syngenta AG is engaged in manufacturing nitrogenous and phosphatic fertilizer, pesticide and other agricultural chemicals.

Pesticide Manufacturing

This industry consists of units mainly engaged in the formulation and preparation of pest control chemicals.

Manufacture of pesticides and other agrochemical products

This industry includes the manufacturing of insecticides, rodenticides, fungicides, herbicides, anti-sprouting products, plant growth regulators, as well as the manufacturing of disinfectants (for agricultural and other use), and other agrochemical products n.e.c. such as:

Manufacturing of fertilizers and nitrogen compounds.
Pesticide and Other Agricultural Chemical Manufacturing.
Manufacture of pesticides and other agrochemical products.

Pesticides and Agricultural Chemicals, Not Elsewhere Classified

Syngenta is primarily engaged in the formulation and preparation of ready-to-use agricultural and household pest control chemicals, including insecticides, fungicides, and herbicides, from technical chemicals or concentrate; and the production of concentrates which require further processing before use as agricultural pesticides. This industry also includes manufacturing or formulating agricultural chemicals, not elsewhere classified, such as minor or trace elements and soil conditioners.

Brands

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Total Brands: 233

Lobbying

On this page you will find a list of lobbyists who had been hired by Syngenta, the issues they lobbied for, and a list of federal bills they lobbied to pass. Bills that Syngenta lobbied against are not included on this page.

Issues that Syngenta lobbied and campaigned for, these issues are correlated to a list of bills in the next tab.

Bills that Syngenta lobbied and companied for, bills that this corporation lobbied and companied against are not included on this page.

Date of the relationship that Syngenta had with a specific federal government agency.

List of lobbyists who had been hired (with date) to help Syngenta to lobby and campaign for particular issues and bills.

Government Contracts

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Education & Money

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Income Disparities

Find out how the compensation of the CEO from this corporation compares to the salary of the lowest paid worker within the same company.

Spotlight

At a Glance

Founded

Headquarters

Corporation Type

Number of Employees

Major Industries

Total Revenue

Activity Map

Industries

Agricultural Chemical Manufacturing

Pesticide Manufacturing

Manufacture of pesticides and other agrochemical products

Pesticides and Agricultural Chemicals, Not Elsewhere Classified

Brands

Total Brands: 233

Lobbying

Government Contracts

Education & Money

Income Disparities

1 : 275

Ratio

$8,485,496

CEO Compensation

$30,895

Lowest Worker Compensation

Spotlight

At a Glance

Founded

Headquarters

Corporation Type

Number of Employees

Major Industries

Total Revenue

Activity Map

Industries

Agricultural Chemical Manufacturing

Pesticide Manufacturing

Manufacture of pesticides and other agrochemical products

Pesticides and Agricultural Chemicals, Not Elsewhere Classified

Brands

Total Brands: 233

Lobbying

29

Agriculture

1

Automotive Industry

19

Chemical Industry

1

Clean Air & Water

1

Consumer Product Safety

1

Copyright, Patent & Trademark

2

Energy & Nuclear Power

25

Environment & Superfund

15

Fed Budget & Appropriations

21

Food Industry

5

Foreign Relations

1

Fuel, Gas & Oil

4

Government Issues

1

Hazardous & Solid Waste

1

Homeland Security

1

Law Enforcement & Crime

1

Medicare & Medicaid

1

Natural Resources

1

Radio & TV Broadcasting

6

Tariffs

7

Taxes

1

Telecommunications

11

Trade

HCONRES376-109

2006

HR1249-112

2011

HR1562-109

2006

HR1627-109

2006

HR1749-109

2006

HR1947-113

2013, 2014

HR1963-109

2006

HR1966-109

2006

HR2031-112