March 4, 2026Facing lawsuits and public outrage, Syngenta will no longer manufacture paraquat
Press Release
Media Contact
Deidre Nelms; Communications Director; Coming Clean; dnelms@comingcleaninc.org, (802) 251-0203 ext. 711.
Syngenta announced that it would cease global production of the toxic herbicide paraquat by the end of June 2026, at a time when public awareness of paraquat’s harms is rising.
Across the U.S., farmers and farmworkers have shared their stories of developing lifelong health conditions after being exposed to paraquat. Thousands of lawsuits are pending in U.S. courts, alleging Syngenta failed to warn people of paraquat’s documented links to Parkinson’s disease. And bills to ban or restrict paraquat have been introduced in at least twelve states.
“Paraquat has become a serious liability,” said Margaret Reeves, Senior Scientist at Pesticide Action and Agroecology Network. “And that shows that giant agrochemical companies are losing public trust.”
This announcement came months after the publication of Designed to Kill: Who Profits from Paraquat? a joint report by Alianza Nacional de Campesinas, Pesticide Action and Agroecology Network and Coming Clean that illustrated the climate and health harms of Syngenta’s global supply chain. The report revealed that virtually all U.S. imports of paraquat originate from the UK and China, countries that have banned the herbicide due to health concerns.
Syngenta, owned by the agrochemical giant SinoChem, operates only one paraquat manufacturing facility in Huddersfield, UK. Trade records indicate that Syngenta imports tens of millions of pounds of paraquat each year via the Port of New Orleans, and formulates paraquat in St. Gabriel, Louisiana. Syngenta St. Gabriel emits thousands of pounds of hazardous air pollutants each year, potentially contributing to high local cancer rates.
“It’s great to hear Syngenta is turning off the tap to a major source of paraquat to the U.S. But SinoChem’s corporate business model hasn’t changed,” said Judith Robinson, Executive Director of Coming Clean. “Its facilities will continue to pollute the air and water from the UK to Cancer Alley. Its pesticides are nearly all derived from fossil fuels that contribute to climate change. If you’re concerned for your health because paraquat has been sprayed on your food for years, you should also be concerned about the many other toxic herbicides that remain and could replace it.”
Trade records indicate that U.S. imports of paraquat have risen over the last decade, and that virtually all imports of paraquat come from Chinese-owned manufacturing facilities. As Syngenta exits the paraquat business, companies like Red Sun Group, another Chinese exporter of paraquat to the U.S., could fill the gap.
Alarmingly, language has recently been introduced in the Farm Bill draft and in state legislation around the country which threatens to take away the public’s right to hold corporations accountable. These “Failure to Warn” bills would grant immunity to pesticide companies that failed to disclose their products’ documented health risks.
“We must push back on this corporate influence and ensure our ability to hold these megacorporations to account,” said Kendall Wimberly, Policy Manager of Toxic Free North Carolina.
In order to end reliance on toxic pesticides, farmers, farmworkers, and communities must continue to demand food that is free from harm. Paraquat has poisoned people and the environment since its genesis, and while one less company making it is worthy of celebration, the movement must press onward toward global food supply chains that are not reliant on toxic pesticides. Agroecological alternatives are abundant and working across the world, but in order to scale these economically viable alternatives we must demand a just transition for farmers and farmworkers.
Coming Clean is a nonprofit environmental health collaborative working to transform the chemical industry so it is no longer a source of harm, and to secure systemic changes that allow a safe chemical and clean energy economy to flourish. Our members are organizations and technical experts — including grassroots activists, community leaders, scientists, health professionals, business leaders, lawyers, and farmworker advocates — committed to principled collaboration to advance a nontoxic, sustainable, and just world for all.