In November 2000, Novartis and AstraZeneca merged their agrochemical divisions to form the Swiss-based Syngenta AG, the world’s largest agribusiness corporation. The Berne Declaration has analyzed the impact of Syngenta’s policies on poor countries. At the center of our critical analysis are: the herbicide paraquat that poisons thousands of workers and farmers every year; the company’s untenable patent claims on important gene sequences of agricultural crops; and the company’s role in developing the so-called terminator technology.