Download Who owns seed?

GM crops:
A risk to diversity
Who owns seed?
• In 1970’s no company owned 1% of the
market
• In 2006 top 10 companies owned 57% of
world seed http://www.etcgroup.org/en/node/656
Who are these companies?
• They include Monsanto, DuPont, Dow,
Syngenta, BASF, Bayer
• Often are chemical and pharmaceutical
companies
• They own organic, conventional and GM
seeds
Cross-licensing agreements
mean further concentration
Smartstax corn
• Monsanto and Dow Agro Sciences
• 8 different GM genes:
• 2 for herbicide tolerance (crops sprayed with
weedkiller but survives)
• 6 for insect resistance (some insects die from plant
produced poison).
http://www.i-sis.org.uk/SmartstaxMaizeAMedelyOFTransgenes.php
Why did chemical companies buy seed
companies?
• Control – patents on GM seed increase this
• GM seeds and chemicals sold as a package
• GM crops used 26% more chemicals in
2008 http://www.organic-center.org/science.pest.php?action=view&report_id=159
• Patents mean can’t independently test GM
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/20/business/20crop.html
• Everyone has to eat
Agricultural Treadmills
https://www.msu.edu/~howardp/foodsystem.html
What is the result of GM seed?
• Bankruptcy of small seed companies
• Lost choice – can’t buy non-GM or best genetics
without GM traits
• Seed destruction - Farmers can’t save and replant
• Farmers sued
• Increased costs
• Very limited research
http://farmertofarmercampaign.com/Out%20of%20Hand.FullReport.pdf
Diversity plummets
• End of experimentation – for farmers and
gardeners
• End of seed saving
• Extinction - Seed removed from catalogues
becomes extinct
Global picture
1. Contamination
2. Patents- intellectual property rights on
plants and seeds
3. “Saving” Africa
1. GM contamination
•
Supply chain - can’t keep GM
contamination out
http://www.madge.org.au/Docs/overview-coexistence-conference.pdf
•
Seeds - Bayer to pay 15 million over
GM rice
•
Weeds - outcross and store GM
genes, volunteers
•
Soil – alters whole soil biology
http://bit.ly/4oH4xf
GM contamination of the gene
pool
• Mexican corn contaminated
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/2034512.stm
• Wild plants could be contaminated
http://www.etcgroup.org/en/node/515
• GM genes found in a broccoli growing wild
in Japan (Brassica family)
• Food security at risk
2. Patents
•Industrialised countries hold
97% of patents worldwide,
•Almost 90% of these are held by
large companies.
http://www.tradewatch.org.au/guide/intellectual_property.html
•BASF, Monsanto, Bayer, Syngenta,
Dupont etc filed 532 patent claims on
“climate ready” genes
http://www.etcgroup.org/en/node/687
Intellectual property rights on
seed and plants introduced
• US imposes IP laws via bilateral treaties
http://www.grain.org/rights/tripsplus.cfm?id=68
• Iraq Order 81 in 2004:
• “New” seed varieties registered, famers pay
royalties but can’t save seed
http://www.grain.org/articles/?id=6
• Afghanistan – not helped to regain
traditional seed http://www.grain.org/briefings/?id=217
3. “Saving” Africa – what’s
happening
•$7.7billion mainly for GM research- US
Lugar Casey bill
http://www.foodfirst.org/en/node/2412
•Assoc. for a Green Revolution in Africa
http://www.twnside.org.sg/title2/par/Unmasking.the.green.revolution.pdf
•Subsidies to US cotton growers
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1978963,00.html?xid=rss-to
• Foreign purchase of farm land in Africa
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/mar/07/food-water-africa-land-grab
What works in Africa
•IAASTD and agro-ecological farming
http://www.agassessment.org/
•Supporting farmers
•Non-GM breeding http://www.bangmfood.org/feed-theworld/17-feeding-the-world/14-non-gm-breakthroughs
•Zambia: conservation farming= hoe, trees
and working with natural systems
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8582353.stm
What can we do?
Change the law
• Patent thrown out on BCRA 1+ 2 breast
cancer gene
http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2010/03/judge-nullifies-gene-patents/
• Senate Inquiry into gene patents to report
in June this year
• Ecuador – legally enforceable rights of
nature
http://www.celdf.org/Ordinances/NewRightsofNatureOrdinance/tabid/589/Default.aspx
Support action taken worldwide
• Slow Food
• Via Campesina
• 16th April - family farmers to march on
Chicago Mercantile Exchange (International Day of
peasant struggle)
• 26th April International Seed Day, Patent-Free
Seeds, Organic Food and Farmers' Rights
Vote with your wallet
Get active
• Food Labelling Review – Melbourne 29th April
http://www.madge.org.au/foodlabelling.php
Put in a submission before 14th May
• Watch Food Inc in cinemas from 20th May
• Join MADGE
www.madge.org.au