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Monsanto to Re-brand as Climate Change Savior!

Written by Asinus Asinum Fricat on June 12, 2008 – 10:41 am -

As John McSame clumsily attempts to re-brand himself as an economist,

From ETC Group [link and blockquote added by biscuit]:

the world’s largest seed and agrochemical corporations are stockpiling hundreds of monopoly patents on genes in plants that the companies will market as crops genetically engineered to withstand environmental stresses such as drought, heat, cold, floods, saline soils etc… BASF, Monsanto, Bayer, Syngenta, Dupont and biotech partners have filed 532 patent documents (a total of 55 patent families) on so-called “climate ready” genes at patent offices around the world. In the face of climate chaos and a deepening world food crisis, the Gene mongers are gearing up for a PR offensive to re-brand themselves as climate saviors, pushing genetically engineered crops as a silver bullet solution to climate change.

According to a new report,

patented techno-fix seeds will not provide the adaptation strategies that small farmers need to cope with climate change. These proprietary technologies will ultimately concentrate corporate power, drive up costs, inhibit independent research, and further undermine the rights of farmers to save and exchange seeds.

Beyond the U.S. and Europe, patent offices in major food producing countries such as Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Mexico and South Africa are also swamped with patent filings. Draw your own conclusions.

The “corporate grab” of genetically engineered “climate tolerant” seeds means that just a handful of companies could end up controlling the price and access to technologies which guard against environmental extremes, according to the ETC Group, which assesses the impact of new technologies on socioeconomic and ecological issues.

“The patent grab on so-called climate-ready traits is sucking up money and resources that could be spent on affordable, farmer-based strategies for climate change survival and adaptation. After decades of seed industry mergers and acquisitions, accompanied by a steady decline in public sector plant breeding, the top 10 seed companies control 57% of the global seed market. As climate crisis deepens, there is a danger that governments will require farmers to adopt prescribed biotech traits that are deemed essential adaptation measures.”

As reported late last year Monsanto (now the world’s largest seed company) and BASF (also the world’s largest chemical firm) have forged a $1.5 billion partnership to engineer stress tolerance in plants.

From Food Navigator [link and blockquote added by biscuit]:

Food insecurity is understood to affect some 850m people around the world and the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has raised concerns about the impact of climate change, food prices, and biofuels.

To recap: the top 10 seed companies control 57 per cent of the global seed market and farmers in the US already pay premium prices for biotech seeds that are loaded with up to three genetic traits.

One example highlighted by ETC is Monsanto’s “triple-stacked” biotech maize seed which sells for about $245 per bag - compared to $100 for conventional maize seed.

A Monsanto spokeswoman said it aimed to be generous, whilst recognizing its obligations to shareholders.

She added: “Currently Monsanto products are used by 25 million farmers globally and our biotech enhanced seeds reach 5 to 7 million farmers. We are active in humanitarian efforts and will work to help address food security problems, whether through the sharing of scientific information generally or a partnership focused on sharing germplasm and technology.”

As for their “generosity“, ask some disgruntled farmers: “Monsanto is the only company I know of that is suing individual farmers and putting them out of business.”

Last year, for the second time in five months, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has rejected patents key to Monsanto’s dominance in bioengineered seed, casting suspicion on its science and weakening the argument that helped the company prevail in dozens of lawsuits against farmers. Additionally, the Public Patent Foundation said that the U.S. patent office sided with it in its case against Monsanto, saying at least four patents should not have been granted because the gene technology was either not new or so obvious it wouldn’t require patenting.

Tags: BASF, Bayer, Biotechs, Climate Change, Dupont, Environment, Farming, Monsanto, Syngenta
Posted in Environment, Farming and Homesteading, Food |