Swiss agricultural manufacturer Syngenta announced it will end global production of paraquat, an herbicide used to control weeds in farming operations, by the end of June. The company plans to phase out production at its facility in Huddersfield, UK, its only manufacturing site for the ingredient. 

Syngenta cited significant competition from global producers, which put pressure on the company’s competitiveness, as the reason for the decision.

The release, however, did not mention ongoing legal challenges involving paraquat, including a multidistrict litigation (MDL) in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois that named Syngenta as a defendant and consolidated over 5,000 plaintiffs who alleged they developed Parkinson’s disease due to paraquat exposure.

The MDL references expert witness Martin Wells, who conducted a meta-analysis of seven epidemiological studies that measured a potential association between paraquat and Parkinson’s disease. According to the document, Wells determined that there was a “near tripling of [Parkinson’s] occurrence in [study] participants occupationally exposed to paraquat.”

Syngenta previously rejected the claims of a causal link between paraquat and Parkinson’s, stating that the herbicide is “safe when used in line with registered label instructions.” In its announcement on ending production, the company mentioned that paraquat supports conservation practices such as no-till farming and added that the herbicide is registered for sale by more than 750 companies. 

Over 70 countries have banned or discontinued the use of paraquat. This includes the EU, which withdrew the herbicide from its market in 2007, as well as China, Brazil and Canada. In 2024, nearly 50 members of the U.S. Congress signed a letter to the EPA asking the agency to ban paraquat.

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