It appears that China is set to make a major play for American farms and farmland. With recent transactions, such as the 2013 purchase of Smithfield by a Chinese holding company and the pending $43 billion deal between ChemChina and Syngenta, it seems as though foreign buyers are attempting to cut out the middle man — the American farmer.
Pete Ricketts, the Nebraska Republican Governor, signed L.B. 176 into law on February 11. This law reverses a law from 1999 that prevented meatpackers from owning livestock for longer than five days before the day of the slaughter. This is bound to affect the farmers who have concerns regarding contract farming for the pork industry.
The state of Nebraska and its legislators appear to be working to make China an important trading partner. This could be a big economical advantage for some in the state, but for small, individual farmers, the benefits may not translate. This can also cause some problems for U.S. agriculture, the environment, and food security.
Many believe that a deal between ChemChina and Syngenta will allow China to have a major stake in the feed production and could cause an unfair advantage for China over the rest of the global seed market.
At Domina Law Group, we have already had legal matters involving Syngenta and the harm the company could cause to the U.S. market. We investigate claims against Syngenta on behalf of corn growers in the nation and are working on building claims.
We know that certain transactions can have a tremendous negative impact on the U.S. market and individual farmers. If you are a farmer, you deserve to have your rights protected and that is the goal of our Nebraska agricultural attorneys. Learn more by calling our firm and discussing the issues involving Syngenta and the possibility of China making a play on the U.S. farmland.