Reading Time: < 1 minute Pesticide manufacturers Syngenta and Corteva must face parts of a class action accusing the agricultural industry giants of using a loyalty program to stymie competition with rivals and keep prices artificially high for farmers, a federal judge in North Carolina has ruled.

Syngenta, Corteva must face part of U.S. farmers’ antitrust lawsuit over pesticide prices

Meat packer Pilgrim’s Pride agrees to pay $41 million to settle investors’ lawsuit
Reading Time: < 1 minute Meat industry giant Pilgrim’s Pride has agreed to pay $41.5 million (C$59.7 million) to settle a securities class action alleging the company artificially boosted its stock price by making false and misleading statements about chicken industry competition.

Farmers’ CWB class action lawsuit gets certified
Suit claims federal government wrongly used farmers' money to help privatize the Wheat Board
Reading Time: 4 minutes A class action lawsuit alleging the government of Canada and G3 Canada Ltd. unlawfully used millions of farmer dollars to privatize the Canadian Wheat Board (CWB) has been certified after wending its way through the courts for 10 years. Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Chris Martin delivered his written judgment Tuesday in Winnipeg, clearing the […] Read more

Quebec group seeks to sue beef packers over pricing
Group's class-action application alleges price-fixing dating back to 2015
Reading Time: 2 minutes A Quebec consumer protection group intends to launch a class action lawsuit against four major beef processors in Canada and the U.S., alleging a “meat pricing conspiracy.” “At a time of high inflation, it is unacceptable to make the price of beef even more expensive than it already is,” Sylvie De Bellefeuille, a lawyer for […] Read more

U.S. judge rejects Roundup settlement plan as ‘unreasonable’
Proposal would cover suits over future illnesses
Reading Time: 2 minutes Reuters — A U.S. judge rejected Bayer’s US$2 billion class action proposal to resolve future lawsuits alleging its Roundup herbicide causes cancer, saying in a Wednesday order that parts of the plan were “clearly unreasonable.” U.S. District Court Judge Vince Chhabria in San Francisco said the proposal “would accomplish a lot for Monsanto,” which Bayer […] Read more

U.S. judge raises doubts ahead of hearing on Roundup settlement
'The last question is a killer'
Reading Time: 2 minutes Reuters — A U.S. federal judge on Tuesday questioned a US$2 billion proposal by Bayer that would create a framework for resolving future claims that its Roundup herbicide causes cancer, casting doubt on the plan a day before a key hearing. Bayer and class action attorneys hope U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria in San Francisco […] Read more

CWB class-action suit a step closer to litigation
Manitoba Court of Appeal overrules lower court, allows case to seek certification
Reading Time: 3 minutes A proposed class-action lawsuit against the federal government and G3, alleging millions of dollars of farmers’ money was improperly used to privatize the Canadian Wheat Board (CWB) in 2012, is a step closer to certification and litigation, says Stewart Wells, chair of the Friends of the Canadian Wheat Board, which is backing the suit. The […] Read more

U.S. settlements not expected to change availability, labels for glyphosate, dicamba
Bayer to pay up to US$12 billion to resolve ag chem, PCB claims; company is "not contemplating" a Canadian glyphosate settlement
Reading Time: 5 minutes Updated, June 25 — Farmers in Canada, the U.S. and elsewhere shouldn’t expect any changes to availability or label directions for Bayer’s stable of glyphosate and dicamba herbicides, coming out of a massive settlement for thousands of lawsuits, the company says. The German company announced Wednesday it expects to spend up to $12 billion in […] Read more

CWB class action suit takes step forward
Reading Time: 3 minutes A proposed class action lawsuit against the federal government and G3, alleging farmers’ money helped privatize the Canadian Wheat Board (CWB), is another step closer, says Anders Bruun, one of the lawyers working on the suit. In a written ruling released Monday, Master Shayne Berthaudin of the Manitoba Court of Queen’s Bench ruled against the […] Read more

Court rips streaming canola contracts as ‘unconscionable’
Reading Time: 5 minutes A Prairie farmer who was paid up front for canola contractually committed to “commodity streaming” firm Input Capital Corp. will have to pay back most of that money, as per a court ruling which also condemns the company’s contracts with him as “unconscionable.” Saskatchewan Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Jeffery Kalmakoff on Thursday released his […] Read more