By: Neil Atkinson
Huddersfield firm Syngenta has vowed to “move on” after a court case over a chemical leak.
The Deighton-based company was fined £200,000 by a judge at Leeds Crown Court.
In response to the judge’s ruling, a spokesman said: “Syngenta has manufactured Paraquat safely in Huddersfield for more than 20 years and greatly regrets this incident.
“There were no injuries to personnel, there was no harm caused to the environment, and members of the public were not at risk from this incident.
Our company did everything that you would expect of a reputable operator by reporting the incident to the HSE, admitting to the offence at the first opportunity and taking all the necessary steps to stop a similar incident from happening again.
“The Judge said that Syngenta was a highly respectable company that took its health and safety responsibilities very seriously.
“New sentencing guidelines were introduced in February and whilst the fine is higher than it would have been at Magistrates Court in January, we fully accept the judge’s ruling and we now move on.”
Originally Published: The Huddersfield Daily Examiner