Corteva will end its crop loyalty programme and pay $35 million to 12 states under a settlement with the US Federal Trade Commission and the states, announced on Monday in their lawsuit alleging that Corteva and Syngenta paid distributors to limit sales of generic pesticides. The FTC said the settlement would help "lower pesticide prices for American farmers".

Under the consent order, filed in the US District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina, Corteva may not require customers to buy more than 50 percent of certain pesticide needs from it to earn benefits, may not tie benefits to purchase targets across several active ingredients or across years, and may not retaliate against customers who buy competing products. The order runs for 10 years with compliance reporting and antitrust training.

The $35 million may be distributed to farmers as each state's attorney general sees fit, including as restitution, but the agreement does not guarantee payments to farmers. The states are California, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and Wisconsin. Corteva must also cooperate in the continuing case against Syngenta, whose motion for summary judgment was argued on 30 July.

The lawsuit, filed on 29 September 2022, concerns six active ingredients; it alleges Corteva holds market power in rimsulfuron, oxamyl and acetochlor, and Syngenta in azoxystrobin, mesotrione and metolachlor. "We're pleased to reach a resolution in the FTC matter," Corteva said. In June 2026 the company settled a similar suit brought by farmers. The report was written by Todd Neeley.

Photo: Dan / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)

Source: DTN / Progressive Farmer