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FTC settlement targets Corteva pesticide practices & promises relief for farmers
Under the agreement, Corteva will dismantle its existing pesticide loyalty program, which regulators say restricted distributors’ ability to work with generic competitors after Corteva’s patents expired
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By ICN Bureau | October 01, 2026
The Federal Trade Commission and a coalition of state attorneys general have reached a major settlement with pesticide giant Corteva Inc. that could open the door to lower-cost crop protection products for American farmers.
Under the agreement, Corteva will dismantle its existing pesticide loyalty program, which regulators say restricted distributors’ ability to work with generic competitors after Corteva’s patents expired.
The settlement is aimed at breaking down barriers to cheaper generic pesticides and giving farmers greater access to lower-priced alternatives after years of elevated costs.
“This settlement will do away with unfair corporate practices that have hurt farmers by impeding the sales of lower-priced products,” said FTC Bureau of Competition Principal Deputy Director David Shaw. “The agreement the FTC and its state partners secured will give farmers better pesticide options at lower prices, enabling farmers to continue to put food on Americans’ tables.”
The stipulated order will bar Corteva for 10 years from conditioning payments or other distributor benefits on purchasing a high share of a pesticide’s active ingredient from Corteva. It will also prohibit the company from similarly restricting distributors’ purchases of generic equivalents.
The settlement resolves a 2022 lawsuit filed by the FTC and the states, which alleged that Corteva used a post-patent loyalty program to pay distributors to block competitors selling cheaper generic pesticides to farmers.
According to the complaint, the alleged practices allowed Corteva to keep prices elevated, forcing American farmers to spend millions of dollars more on essential crop protection products.
The lawsuit also made similar allegations against Syngenta, another major pesticide manufacturer, over its own post-patent loyalty program.
The Corteva settlement comes as the FTC steps up efforts to challenge business practices it says drive up costs for farmers and consumers. The agency has also pointed to a recent landmark settlement with agricultural equipment maker Deere & Company as part of that broader push.
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