Syngenta

Around the world, farmers rely on the herbicide atrazine to control weeds such as common waterhemp, giant ragweed and pigweed in commercially important crops such as corn, sugarcane and sorghum.

As a selective herbicide, atrazine works by targeting weeds such as broadleaf and grassy weeds while leaving selected crops unharmed. It works by being absorbed and transported throughout the weed, effectively eliminating the weed.

Many farmers therefore value atrazine for enabling conservation agricultural practices such as no- and low-till farming, which preserve soil health and prevent erosion; in the US alone, each year as much as 85 million tons of soil erosion through tillage is avoided. It is therefore not surprising that atrazine has played a significant role in propelling agriculture in countries such as the US, Brazil and Argentina, enabling the cost-efficient and large-scale production of key commodity crops that are widely exported around the world. Syngenta is just one of more than 100 companies around the world registered to sell atrazine.

Atrazine has been used safely for more than 60 years and is, in fact, one of the most well-studied pesticides with more than 7,000 scientific studies conducted on this active ingredient alone. Yet, in spite of the extensive documentation of its effectiveness and safety, the herbicide faces attacks about its safe use.

As part of our commitment to be transparent, we are providing information about this herbicide here to enable you to draw your own conclusions.