Syngenta to fight ban on pesticide

Thiamethoxam, which belongs to a group of widely-used insecticides known as neonicotinoids, is the active ingredient in Syngenta’s Cruiser seed treatments.

The European Union said in April it would ban three of the world’s most widely-used pesticides for two years because of fears they are linked to a plunge in the population of bees critical to the production of crops.

Syngenta said the commission took the decision on the basis of a flawed process, an inaccurate and incomplete assessment by the European Food Safety Authority and without the full support of EU member states.

John Atkin, chief operating officer, said: “We would prefer not to take legal action but have no other choice given our firm belief that the commission wrongly linked thiamethoxam to the decline in bee health.”

The Swiss-based group is the world’s largest maker of crop chemicals and has a site in Huddersfield employing 300 people.

A cold, wet spring hit Syngenta’s earnings in the first six months of the year.

But the company is confident that high commodity prices will encourage farmers to invest in crops in the second half and help its 2013 sales surpass last year’s record of $14.2bn.

The group is banking on growing demand for its seeds, pesticides, fertilisers and support services, as farmers grappling with erratic weather and a shortage of labour turn to technology to boost yields.