Recently, representatives from news media organizations in several countries have reached out to Syngenta with questions about paraquat, a herbicide that has been an essential tool for farmers for more than 55 years. These questions regard the safety of the product and the steps we have taken to ensure the prevention of accidental or intentional ingestion, including concerns about the emetic (a substance that produces nausea and vomiting) level in Syngenta’s paraquat products.

Paraquat is a herbicide that is widely used by farmers to save arduous labor, protect against invasive weeds and produce agronomically important crops like soy, corn and cotton. Paraquat helps reduce soil erosion, and protect soil health and the effects of climate change. We are only one of 377 companies worldwide that has registered paraquat for sale.

At Syngenta we take product safety very seriously and have invested hundreds of millions of dollars in improving product formulations and safening methods for use of paraquat. Since 2014, we have trained more than 42 million farmers around the world in the safe use of our products and offer emergency medical advice round the clock worldwide.

At the heart of this issue is a fundamental disagreement about the science of adding the right amount of emetic to paraquat formulations. It is a complex issue and not as simple as it’s been made out. Modern expert medical opinion is on our side. The FAO/WHO, US EPA and other bodies have not changed their recommendations either.

We find it heartbreaking that people have been harmed through accidental or intentional ingestion of paraquat, and we empathize with the pain of those who have lost loved ones. We believe that society needs to address the root cause and focus on mental health issues, not deprive the world of important agricultural products.

We absolutely reject the accusations made. We did not base decisions on emetic levels on cost motives. In fact, this product contributes less than 1 per cent of our profit. But it is an important product to farmers in their quest to produce food for an increasingly populated world. We will defend ourselves rigorously.