Commentary: Smear campaign against atrazine and Syngenta

The Center for Media and Democracy (CMD) recently took a wild swing at Syngenta Crop Protection, and although AgProfessional doesn’t agree with the organization’s position, we feel it's important to inform our readers that outrageous claims have been distributed to the mass media. We don’t even see the need for a response from Syngenta because the company has previously disavowed the claims against atrazine as untrue and as information pulled out of context. 

The CMD posted more than 200 emails, invoices and other documents from lawsuits against Syngenta related to the continued registration of atrazine. The CMD comes out throwing mud with claims that Syngenta and its “PR flaks” have spent millions of dollars “to influence the public’s perception of atrazine in an effort to stave off regulatory and legal action against the weed-killer.”

Wow, what a discovery! Yes, Syngenta has had to spend millions of dollars to counter the negative and false information spread about atrazine. The crop protection herbicide has been the focus of attacks by activists even though it has gone through appropriate Environmental Protection Agency review. Since when is it a crime to pay for scientific review or research by a third-party?

The CMD calls Syngenta’s actions a “greenwashing effort.”  Sensationalism and name calling is what the CMD appears to be the best at doing in their “news” report.

The CMD points to some of those activist lawsuits against Syngenta as proof of something going on, although I don’t see proof, just claims. They cite The Holiday Shores Sanitary District vs. Syngenta and Growmark Inc. lawsuit, filed in 2006, which is still in a pre-trial stage. The suit was filed because some level of atrazine was found in drinking water and the plaintiffs have their own so-called scientists talking about “endocrine disruptive effects” from atrazine.

In essence, it appears that through this lawsuit, the activists want Syngenta to pay for high-priced filtration systems for every community in the U.S. to remove every molecule of atrazine. Both are completely absurd—paying for filtration of every drop of water in the U.S. and assuring that there won’t be a single molecule of atrazine or any other molecule of herbicide in U.S. drinking water.

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Discovery is right! The abuse of attorneys' use of the broad and far reaching discovery of documents due to electronic record keeping in mass torts is out of control. Our system of law is designed to provide both sides in a lawsuit access to all potentially relevant documents that could lead to a fair and accurate outcome in civil proceedings. The intent of discovery and public access to documents that are relevant to the outcome of a trial is to ensure they can be used in the courts - allowing juries and judges to fairly and accurately make determinations in civil suits. Today, however, we see lawyers using discovery and leaking selective documents to the media and activist groups before these documents ever see a courtroom as noted in this story. These lawyers are using the media, not the courts, to embarrass and harm their victims to force settlements or other outcomes in cases. This is a tactical refuge of attorneys whose cases and evidence aren't strong enough to win fair and square in court, so they use them as public relations tactics. They leave a trail of smeared victims in their wake all in the pursuit of big cash settlements. These practices are corruptions and abuses of justice and should be called out for what they are and wherever they occur. Congratulations to Rich Keller for standing up and pointing it out in this case.

Atrazine is a killer! Right on CMD!!!!!!!