Who Controls The Seed Market?
Wednesday 14th September 2016 was a pretty big day for me. I had spent the previous four or so months writing, researching, and editing a 10,000-word thesis on the implementation of Genetic Modification (GM) in Africa for my Master’s degree dissertation - this was the day I finally stopped researching and handed in my paper. This research (and my degree in general) was where my passion for seed sovereignty, food politics, and farming began - with genetically modified seeds.
In its simplest form, GM is the altering of the genetic make-up of an organism. In agriculture, the aim of implementing GM crops is to increase the crop’s resistance to drought and insects, while also enhancing the speed and size of the crop’s growth. You may be wondering why advancements in agricultural biotechnology are relevant to your life, stick with me and we’ll get to that.
You may have heard scare stories about GMO’s (genetically modified organisms). Such stories often revolve around Monsanto, pesticides or the belief that GMO’s cause cancer. While the negative connotations surrounding GM are important and relevant, they will not be the focal point of this piece. Instead, I am going to talk about seeds.
Another reason why Wednesday 14th September 2016 was a pretty big day for me is due to seeds. On this day Monsanto, one of the world’s largest agrochemical companies, was bought out by Bayer, a German pharmaceutical and chemical giant, in a $66 billion merger. Why is this relevant? Well, this merger led to Bayer owning Monsanto and, in turn, owning nearly 30% of the seed market worldwide. Among a host of mergers and acquisitions between major agrochemical companies in the last few years, we are heading for a future in which the ‘big three’ largest companies will have control over our entire food system. This is relevant to you because it will result in them making the decisions regarding what is in your food, how much it costs and whether it is pesticide-laden and genetically modified [1].
For the last 12,000 or so years, farmers would save seeds, clean them, and re-plant them the following year. Nowadays, mostly in countries like the U.S. where GM production is legal and widespread, the saving of seed is illegal if a farmer is using GM seed. This means that farmers have to spend far more money each year buying new seeds and can be sued if they attempt to save their seeds. Now, don’t get me wrong here, these companies have to protect themselves, understandably, and have a right to put laws in place regarding their product. Yet, my issue here is more to do with the fact that nature has become a commodity in and of itself, that a handful of companies have the right to own and patent seeds.
As the future of our food system is continuously questioned regarding new technologies there needs to be a push for further debate regarding the actions of large corporations. If we do not question these actions we are allowing our future to be placed in the hands of the few rather than the many. The realities of the control maintained by these groups are often unseen and unheard, and thus unquestioned. Maybe it is time we start questioning it.
[1] Although these companies do not control the laws of countries worldwide, their influence is growing. For example, in Europe GM is largely banned, yet Bayer are a German company with huge influence over business in Europe. If Bayer acquire Monsanto then the future may be uncertain regarding the relationship between GM products and the EU.