Syngenta responds to October 3 protests 

The challenges facing agriculture today are significant. Climate change is increasing pest and disease pressure, reducing crop resilience and exposing farmers to more frequent weather extremes. At the same time, the world must produce more food, feed and renewable resources for a growing population, while protecting biodiversity and avoiding the conversion of additional natural habitat into farmland.  

Addressing these challenges sustainably requires a commitment to collaborate, a willingness to understand the broader picture, and an ability to innovate.

We recognize that there are organizations fundamentally opposed to modern agricultural technologies. While we recognize the right of people to express diverse opinions and respect the dedication and conviction of demonstrators, the depth of their concern may at times influence their interpretation of a complex issue and make it challenging to consider all aspects of the evidence with complete objectivity.  

Many claims about Syngenta and the wider crop protection industry have been made by the various interest groups. As part of our commitment to be transparent, we invite you here to explore our position on some of the main themes raised by these groups, to enable you to draw your own conclusions.  

On October 3, our main priority is to continue to support farmers and to ensure the safety of our employees, contractors, visitors, neighbours and the local communities where we work.

Growing food is not as simple as planting seeds and waiting for harvest. Farmers must protect crops from insects, weeds, diseases, and other threats that can dramatically reduce yields and food quality. Modern pesticides are one of several tools farmers use to safeguard crops and help ensure a reliable food supply. According to the UN’s Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), every year, up to 40 percent of crops are lost due to plant pests and diseases.  

1. Safeguarding crops
   Pests, weeds, and plant diseases compete with crops for water, nutrients, and sunlight, or harm crops directly – even post-harvest. Without effective crop protection, significant amounts of food would be lost. Crop protection products help farmers safeguard yields, enabling more food to be produced from existing farmland and helping strengthen food security for a growing global population.  
2. Enhancing Food Quality and Safety
   Crop protection products help prevent damage from fungi, insects, and other organisms that can reduce food quality. Some plant diseases can also produce natural toxins - such as mycotoxins - which can contaminate food and animal feed. By protecting crops from these threats, pesticides help farmers deliver safe, high-quality food throughout the supply chain.  
3. Keeping Food Affordable
   When crops are damaged by pests or disease, farmers harvest less food from the same amount of land, labor, and resources. Lower yields can contribute to higher production costs and higher food prices. By reducing crop losses and improving productivity, pesticides help make fruits, vegetables, grains, and other foods more available and affordable for consumers. 
4. Supporting Sustainable Land Use
   Producing more food on existing agricultural land can help reduce pressure to convert forests, grasslands, and other natural habitats into farmland. In some farming systems, herbicides also enable reduced tillage practices, which can lower soil erosion, improve soil health, and reduce fuel use.  
5. Helping Farmers Adapt to Growing Challenges
   Climate change is increasing pest pressures, introducing new crop diseases, and making farming more unpredictable in many regions. Farmers need a range of tools to respond to these challenges, including crop protection products, biological solutions, improved seeds, digital technologies, and agronomic practices. Pesticides remain an important part of this integrated approach, helping protect harvests against evolving threats. 

At Syngenta, safety is at the heart of everything we do. From the earliest stages of research and development through manufacturing, distribution, and use in the field, we apply rigorous standards designed to protect people, communities, and the environment. 

1. Designing Products for Safety and Responsible Performance
   Syngenta’s “safer-by-design” approach in R&D means that we embed safety and sustainability into our products - right from the earliest stages of our scientific discovery. We bring together our deep expertise in plant biology, toxicology, ecotoxicology and chemistry with leading-edge computational modelling, predictive science and machine learning - to design our technologies so that they meet multiple objectives simultaneously: effectiveness, crop safety, human safety, environmental stewardship and sustainability.  
2. Extensive Scientific Testing and Compliance with Stringent Global Regulations
   Crop protection products are among the most highly regulated products in the world. Every crop protection product undergoes years of development in which safety relevant scientific data are generated followed by an evaluation before it can be approved for use. Every product is thoroughly assessed for potential impacts on human health, operators, consumers, and the environment. Regulatory authorities around the world review extensive scientific data before granting initial approvals, and reapprovals, for use.  
   As a leader in the industry, Syngenta welcomes robust regulation as an essential part of ensuring high standards across the industry.  
3. Safety of manufacturing operations
   At Syngenta, safety is built into every stage of our manufacturing operations - to protect employees, contractors, neighboring communities, and the environment while producing the technologies farmers depend on. Our approach combines strong standards, rigorous risk management, employee training, operational discipline and continuous learning.  
   Syngenta implements structured risk assessment processes to identify hazards, understand potential consequences, and establish safeguards. Process safety management protocols integrate health, safety, engineering, technical and manufacturing disciplines to help prevent major incidents. Our manufacturing sites employ a wide range of established operational controls, including equipment inspections and maintenance programs, while our operational teams continuously monitor performance, and implement preventive actions to strengthen safety. Furthermore, we invest significantly in training and competency programs that help our employees and contractors understand risk, follow procedures and perform their roles safely, while implementing ongoing monitoring, audits, reporting and learning processes.  
4. Promoting Responsible Use Through Stewardship and Training
   Safety depends not only on product design but also on how products are used. Syngenta supports farmer training, stewardship programs, digital tools, and guidance to help growers apply products safely and responsibly. Clear label instructions, appropriate handling practices, and the use of personal protective equipment where required are key components of safe use.  
5. Continuous Improvement and Accountability
   Safety is an ongoing commitment. Syngenta continually reviews its portfolio, evaluates new scientific evidence, and works to improve products and practices. The company aligns its safety approaches with internationally recognized standards and guidelines from organizations such as the FAO, WHO, OECD, and regulatory authorities around the world.