Pesticide & Toxic Chemical News
June 14, 2004
NCGA: StarLink lawsuit moving closer to resolution

Corn farmers who filed claims last year as part of the class action
lawsuit against StarLink corn may soon receive compensation for their
losses, according to the National Corn Growers Association.

Thousands of growers who grew corn between 1998 and 2002 were eligible
to receive a recovery from the "Non-StarLink Farmer Actions" settlement.
After repeated inquiries by the Nebraska Corn Board, the Garden City
Group a New York-based law firm, revealed that more than 150,000 claims
were filed and just 6% of those claims were deficient, NCGA reported,
adding that growers who filed deficient claims should have received a
letter explaining how to correct the claim.

"The StarLink dilemma was an unfortunate situation for all corn growers,
not just those who used the StarLink product," NCGA said in a statement.
"Corn prices dropped significantly as a result of the situation and that
impacted the entire industry..  We're glad to see that qualified corn
growers will finally be recouped for some of the lost market
opportunities they experienced."

NCGA called the settlement "a step in the right direction, but payments
amount to little more than 'a drop in the bucket' for farmers who
experienced significant losses because of the StarLink disaster."

StarLink Logistics and Advanta USA agreed to pay a total of $112.2
million, including interest, to fund the settlement for non-StarLink
commercial corn farmers nationwide. The Garden City Group estimated that
farmers who qualify for a settlement would likely receive $1 to $2 per
affected acre in the form of a prepaid debit card.

"StarLink shows that the biotechnology industry has to worry about more
than consumer sentiment," Thomas Reddick, a St. Louis-based attorney who
chairs the American Bar Association's agricultural management committee,
told Pesticide & Toxic Chemical News.  "The class action bar is teed up
for the next big thing, and that's a force that can stifle innovation.
You could push products off, such as biotech wheat, even when the public
is ready for them."

For more information on the lawsuit, go to
http://www.nonstarlinkfarmerssettlement.com