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GM crops:

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

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GM crops:

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  1. GM crops: A risk to diversity

  2. 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

  3. 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

  4. Cross-licensing agreements mean further concentration

  5. 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

  6. 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

  7. Agricultural Treadmillshttps://www.msu.edu/~howardp/foodsystem.html

  8. 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 researchhttp://farmertofarmercampaign.com/Out%20of%20Hand.FullReport.pdf

  9. Diversity plummets • End of experimentation – for farmers and gardeners • End of seed saving • Extinction -Seed removed from catalogues becomes extinct

  10. Global picture • Contamination • Patents- intellectual property rights on plants and seeds • “Saving” Africa

  11. 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

  12. 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

  13. 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” geneshttp://www.etcgroup.org/en/node/687

  14. 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

  15. 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

  16. What works in Africa IAASTD and agro-ecological farming http://www.agassessment.org/ Supporting farmers Non-GM breeding http://www.bangmfood.org/feed-the-world/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

  17. What can we do?

  18. 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

  19. 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

  20. Vote with your wallet

  21. 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

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