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Syngenta Crop Protection AG

Syngenta is a global agricultural company developing seeds and crop protection products to help farmers grow food sustainably.

Lobbying Activity

Meeting with Jessica Polfjärd (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur)

7 Nov 2025 · NGT

Meeting with Irene Sacristan Sanchez (Head of Unit Health and Food Safety) and Bayer AG and

9 Oct 2025 · Exchange of views on the state of play of the interinstitutional negotiations on the Commission proposal for a Regulation on plants obtained by certain new genomic techniques (NGT proposal)

Meeting with Norbert Lins (Member of the European Parliament) and Vestaron Corporation

3 Sept 2025 · Zulassung biologischer Pflanzenschutzmittel

Meeting with Patricia Reilly (Cabinet of President Ursula von der Leyen)

18 Jul 2025 · TO FOLLOW

Meeting with Patricia Reilly (Cabinet of President Ursula von der Leyen)

18 Jul 2025 · Crop protection – biocontrol coalition

Meeting with Benoit Cassart (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur)

2 Jul 2025 · INI biocontrol agents

Meeting with Alexander Bernhuber (Member of the European Parliament)

19 Jun 2025 · Pflanzenschutzmittel

Meeting with Jeannette Baljeu (Member of the European Parliament)

2 May 2025 · NGTs

Meeting with Irene Sacristan Sanchez (Head of Unit Health and Food Safety) and Bayer AG and

25 Mar 2025 · Policy developments relevant to European seed sector (proposal on plants obtained by certain new genomic techniques, NGTs)

Meeting with Jessica Polfjärd (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur)

6 Mar 2025 · NGT

Meeting with Jessica Polfjärd (Member of the European Parliament)

18 Nov 2024 · GMO policy

Meeting with Carmen Preising (Cabinet of Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevičius)

30 Apr 2024 · Green engagement of Syngenta; Environmental Monitoring; Green Deal implementation; Chemical Strategy for Sustainability.

Syngenta calls for more flexible rules on gene-edited plants

31 Oct 2023
Topic — A new EU framework for plants produced using modern genomic techniques and cisgenesis.
Message — Syngenta wants Category 1 plants treated as conventional and permitted in organic farming. They argue the 20-edit limit is too strict for complex crops like potatoes. Objections to member state decisions should only be based on scientific evidence.123
Why — This would reduce regulatory burdens and offer investment certainty for their breeding technologies.45
Impact — Restrictive GMO requirements will likely prevent many farmers and breeders from adopting NGTs.6
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Meeting with Alexander Bernhuber (Member of the European Parliament)

9 May 2023 · Sustainable Use of Pesticides Regulation

Meeting with Pascal Canfin (Member of the European Parliament)

8 Mar 2023 · Green Deal

Meeting with Alexander Bernhuber (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur) and Wirtschaftskammer Österreich and

24 Oct 2022 · Sustainable use of Pesticides - Stakeholder Dialog

Meeting with Joanna Stawowy (Cabinet of Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski), Jorge Pinto Antunes (Cabinet of Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski) and

11 Oct 2022 · To discuss the contribution of innovative plant breeding to food security and sustainability to achieve the green deal objectives

Meeting with Jorge Pinto Antunes (Cabinet of Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski) and Bayer AG and

11 Oct 2022 · To discuss the contribution of innovative plant breeding to food security and sustainability to achieve the green deal objectives

Meeting with Janusz Wojciechowski (Commissioner) and

5 May 2022 · Ukraine and Food Security

Meeting with Norbert Lins (Member of the European Parliament, Committee chair) and Euroseeds and

30 Mar 2022 · Seed Sector

Response to Soil Health Law – protecting, sustainably managing and restoring EU soils

16 Mar 2022

Syngenta contribution to the Call for Evidence for an impact assessment for an EU Soil Health Law At Syngenta we warmly welcome this opportunity to provide our perspective and input to the Call of Evidence for an impact assessment for an EU Soil Health Law. Soil is the fundamental resource that our customers, the farmers, are stewards of, and rely on, to produce food, fuel and fibre. For Syngenta, soil health is a key priority as healthy and productive soil is essential for life on earth and we are committed to playing a full part in protecting and enhancing soil health around the world. Syngenta shares the European Commission’s view on the importance to bring soil in a healthy state by 2050. In our attached submission we outline some key elements which we believe should be addressed in the EU Soil Health Law, including: EU Soil Health Law to incentivize Good Agricultural Practices in building on existing various regulations Good agricultural practices that are broadly recognized as being key to good soil management include: reduced tillage and disturbance of soil; cover of soil throughout the year; promotion of soil biodiversity; diverse crop rotations. An EU Soil Health Law should encourage these practices by building on the various EU directives, regulations and policies touching on soil health, while avoiding regulatory overlap. We recommend the use of result-based approaches within soil laws, which permit a higher degree of flexibility and adaptation to local conditions than action-based requirements. EU Soil Health Law to support farmers Growers are the center of soil health for agriculture and they must be adequately supported to help them restore soil health. Policy, regulatory and subsidy considerations, as well as private and philanthropic investment can be utilized to assist growers with the transition to good soil management practices. EU Soil Health Law to leverage Science and technology Science and technology will be critical in improving soil health. Legislation should prioritize the approval and widespread use of technologies that contribute to soil health sustainability. Such an approach would encourage private investment in new approaches and solutions. EU Soil Health Law to link with Carbon farming The important role of soils in capturing carbon to mitigate climate change has been recognized by the European Commission. There is a pressing need to adequately incentivize growers to adopt soil carbon capture techniques, with adequate certification methods to assure long-term carbon storage. The Soil Health Law should include a strong focus on the importance of carbon farming. EU Soil Health Law to link with Water legislation Soil and water are crucial environmental resources that interact in many ways. Water cycle is one of the most important processes operating on our planet, sustaining life and controlling our weather and climate. Functional soils play a key role in the water cycle, supplying clean water and improving our resilience to floods and droughts. In this context, soil management should include the concept of soil hydrological properties taking in consideration the co-relation water/soil and agriculture/environment Syngenta Group contribution The agricultural industry also has an important role to play to promote good practices and assist growers with the transition to better soil management. Syngenta Group, in collaboration with The Nature Conservancy, has identified three priority areas against which it will focus its efforts to promote the healthy management of soils: promote soil biodiversity, promote soil resources, and mitigate climate change. We are committed to working together with all stakeholders to help deliver on the Commission’s goal of healthy soils by 2050.
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Response to Application of EU health and environmental standards to imported agricultural and agri-food products

15 Mar 2022

At Syngenta we warmly welcome this opportunity to provide our perspective to help inform the European Commission’s report. Food, health and environment are fundamentally important issues for the EU and global population. We are fully supportive of the Union’s objective to ensure a high level of health protection, as enshrined in the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. We also strongly support coherent, science and evidence-based policies that improve all aspects of sustainability and sustainable development, including an approach that enables international trade. Current EU legislation on the food chain, import border controls and maximum residue levels already ensures imported food and feed meets the same health standards as food and feed produced in the EU. Global environmental protection is best achieved through multilateral agreement to avoid unintended consequences, leakage and potential for retaliation affecting EU agri-food exports. Sustainable global agricultural production depends on science-based decisions underpinning international standards that support trade in agri-food, produced using the safe and appropriate use of a wide range of crop protection tools to manage endemic, emerging and invasive pests and plant diseases. As all parties work to deliver sustainable, resilient and regenerative agriculture systems, it is necessary to allow farmers access to a range of solutions to efficiently provide safe and high-quality food and feed products. We recommend that: • the EU carefully and fully assess the impacts, including potential for unintended consequences of future trading policy around agri-food imports • the EU pursue global environmental protection goals in the appropriate multilateral fora and not through trade instruments that are intended to protect human health • the Commission engages with third country administrations to understand their approaches, and their concerns about EU attempts to unilaterally impose EU public policy approaches extra-territorially • the EU to continue to participate in the establishment, adoption and use of scientifically risk assessed global standards such as those provided for by the UN FAO/WHO Codex alimentarius
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Meeting with Lukas Visek (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Frans Timmermans)

14 Mar 2022 · Reducing the use and risk of chemical pesticides

Meeting with Frans Timmermans (Executive Vice-President) and Bayer AG and

3 Dec 2021 · Discussion on investments into carbon removals with business representatives

Response to Sustainable food system – setting up an EU framework

26 Oct 2021

Syngenta welcomes the chance to comment on the EU Sustainable food systems framework initiative and sees it as an opportunity to strengthen the integrated approach to food production that delivers positive outcomes to farmers, positive outcomes for climate and nature, and positive outcomes towards sustainable supply of nutritious food for the growing population. We are aware that there are already a number of initiatives and voluntary standards in place, or being developed, which are supporting movement towards sustainable agriculture and food production, and they should be taken into account within the proposed new framework when evaluating future policy options. One important example is the EU Code of Conduct for Responsible Food Business and Marketing Practices, which Syngenta has signed, along with many other industry players involved in the sector. This Code provides the opportunity for the players in the agricultural value chain to demonstrate a contribution to environmental, health and social sustainability of food systems, while ensuring economic sustainability of the European food value chain. As an illustration of voluntary sustainability initiatives, Syngenta has for several years worked on an holistic program addressing challenges of sustainable agriculture and food production: The Good Growth Plan. The commitments and targets outlined in the Good Growth Plan are already supporting the transition to sustainable agricultural production systems, specifically; Accelerating innovation for farmers and nature; Striving for carbon neutral agriculture; Helping people stay safe and healthy; and Building cohesive partnerships and dialogs for sustainability governance. To accelerate the way we innovate, we partnered with the global environmental non-profit organisation The Nature Conservancy (TNC) bringing together Syngenta’s R&D capabilities and TNC’s environmental science and conservation expertise to scale up sustainable agricultural practices. Based on our experience, sustainability criteria defined under the EU Sustainable food systems framework initiative ought to address sustainability outcomes, as opposed to perceptions of different inputs, and reflect the range of agricultural practices required by the different environmental and cropping situations throughout Europe and in other parts of the world. Furthermore, we believe that future sustainability assessment of food systems in EU should be based on the overall impact on food security and all aspects of sustainability (environmental, social and economic), support innovations that would improve such impact and offer predictability to future technology innovations.
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Meeting with Lukas Visek (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Frans Timmermans)

9 Jul 2021 · Sustainable food systems

Meeting with Lukas Visek (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Frans Timmermans)

28 May 2021 · Sustainable food systems

Syngenta urges evidence-based approach to EU pesticide rules

31 Jul 2020
Topic — The EU is revising rules to reduce pesticide risks and promote sustainable farming.
Message — Syngenta calls for an evidence-based impact assessment that balances environmental goals with food security and farmer wellbeing. They also advocate for policies that support the adoption of innovative digital and precision agriculture technologies.12
Why — This would help Syngenta secure market access for its new digital and low-risk pesticide technologies.3
Impact — Environmental groups may lose out if technical trade-offs are used to justify continued pesticide use.4
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Meeting with Daniel Calleja Crespo (Director-General Environment)

29 May 2020 · European Green Deal

Meeting with Nathalie Chaze (Cabinet of Commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis)

17 Oct 2019 · Sustainable use of pesticides

Meeting with Bernardus Smulders (Cabinet of First Vice-President Frans Timmermans)

2 Sept 2019 · New Techniques in Biotecnology

Meeting with Nathalie Chaze (Cabinet of Commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis)

8 Aug 2019 · The Future of EU policy on PPP and GMOs

Meeting with Nathalie Chaze (Cabinet of Commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis)

13 Jun 2019 · Innovation in the field of plant protection products

Meeting with Phil Hogan (Commissioner)

21 May 2019 · Agri Matters

Meeting with Nathalie Chaze (Cabinet of Commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis) and EuropaBio and DuPont de Nemours International SARL

12 Mar 2019 · GMO import approvals and new breeding techniques

Meeting with Nathalie Chaze (Cabinet of Commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis)

4 Feb 2019 · Plant Breeding Innovation

Meeting with Nathalie Chaze (Cabinet of Commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis)

20 Sept 2018 · Sustainable farming, plant protection products

Meeting with Nathalie Chaze (Cabinet of Commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis)

23 Feb 2018 · Approval of plant protection products

Meeting with Nathalie Chaze (Cabinet of Commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis)

27 Jul 2017 · Plant protection products

Meeting with Vytenis Andriukaitis (Commissioner) and

10 Jul 2017 · Plant protection products

Meeting with Dermot Ryan (Cabinet of Commissioner Phil Hogan)

25 Nov 2016 · general AGRI business + Syngenta issues

Response to Criteria to identify endocrine disruptors for plant protection products

28 Jul 2016

Syngenta considers the proposal for the criteria for PPPs to be unacceptable in its current form. We are highly concerned that the proposed regulation will remove technologies from the market that are perfectly safe to humans or the environment. Criteria are needed that separates those endocrine disruptors that are of concern and need regulating from those that of little or no concern. The most appropriate system to do this compares the potential hazard and the likely exposure and determines the likelihood of the hazard occurring. This approach, often called a risk assessment, is recommended in the conclusion reached by the EFSA Scientific Committee in their Scientific Opinion published in March 2013 which stated that “endocrine disruptors can be treated like most other substances of potential concern for human health and the environment, that is subject to risk assessment, considering both hazard and exposure”. Risk assessment makes best use of available information and prevents substances with a perfectly manageable risk to humans and the environment being banned. The Commission’s current proposal for identifying compounds with endocrine disrupting properties relies solely on the WHO/IPCS definition. At first glance, it may be suitable to do this, but it is far too superficial an approach to support regulatory decision making. Without the addition of hazard characterisation elements, such as potency, severity of effect, reversibility and lead toxicity (an adverse effect unrelated to endocrine disruption that is observed at a lower exposure), the criteria do not allow the separation of compounds that are of concern from those of that are of little or no concern. Under the criteria as written, products such as soya, caffeine and chocolate would likely be classed as endocrine disruptors if the key elements of hazard characterisation were to be ignored. As part of the proposal, the Commission has introduced certain derogations for substances meeting the endocrine disruption criteria. These allow both hazard and exposure to be considered in a form of risk assessment. While these proposals are welcome, having to rely on derogations suggests there is a flaw in the basic legislation. It would be more sustainable to provide the right criteria in the first place rather than regulating by derogation from hazard. In conclusion, Syngenta welcomes the Commission’s final proposal to identify substances with endocrine disrupting properties but it is clear that the current proposal is missing some key elements. The Commission and Member States are strongly urged to make significant amendments to include the key elements of hazard characterisation (potency, severity, reversibility and lead toxicity) as part of the regulatory decision making process. The use of derogations is not a sustainable method of regulation.
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Meeting with Vytenis Andriukaitis (Commissioner) and

27 Jun 2016 · New breeding techniques, innovation in seeds

Meeting with Nathalie Chaze (Cabinet of Commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis) and Monsanto

25 May 2016 · Glyphosate

Meeting with Maria Da Graca Carvalho (Cabinet of Commissioner Carlos Moedas)

13 Oct 2015 · Bioeconomy

Meeting with Robert Madelin (Director-General Communications Networks, Content and Technology) and American Chamber of Commerce to the European Union and

3 Jun 2015 · New College and Better Regulation