Syngenta believes that Sipcam is misleading growers in its advertising, which claims that Sipcam's metolachlor herbicides deliver the same weed control as Syngenta's new S-metolachlor herbicides Dual II MAGNUM® and Bicep II MAGNUM®.

S-metolachlor is the active isomer of metolachlor.  Syngenta developed S-metolachlor to provide growers with effective weed control at 65 percent of the rate of old metolachlor. EPA registered S-metolachlor in 1997 as a reduced-risk herbicide.  Since Syngenta's introduction of S-metolachlor, approximately 20 million fewer pounds of active ingredient are applied each year - a substantial reduction in environmental exposure.

Sipcam's brands, with old metolachlor as the active ingredient, were registered by EPA in 2002 and 2003, at 65 percent of the rates approved for the old metolachlor sold by Syngenta for more than 20 years.  Sipcam's current advertising campaign claims equivalent weed control performance with their metolachlor products compared to Syngenta's improved S-metolachlor. But old metolachlor at Sipcam's labeled rate does not provide growers with the reliable and effective weed control of improved S-metolachlor.  Syngenta has more than 30 years of experience and hundreds of trials regarding the performance of metolachlor.

 "Syngenta wants to ensure that U.S. growers receive accurate information to make decisions about their weed control program," said Travis Dickinson, head of business development for Syngenta Crop Protection.  "This older chemistry at Sipcam's reduced rate simply doesn't provide the consistent, effective weed control of Syngenta's newer products like Dual II MAGNUM® and Bicep II MAGNUM®."