Food security hindered by seed market dominance, MEPs warn | EurActiv

Food security hindered by seed market dominance, MEPs warn | EurActiv

The EU seed market is dominated by a few large
seed businesses rather than a diverse range of smaller companies, which
has implications for the continent’s food security, says a report
commissioned by European Parliament Green group.

Five companies control about 95% of the
vegetable seed sector and 75% of the maize market share specifically,
according to the report, presented in the European Parliament on
Wednesday (29 January).

The assertion goes against European Commission and seed industry’s
position that the market, and the five dominant companies, is made up of
some 7000 mainly small and medium-sized entreprises, allowing for
healthy competition.

“This is simply not true. The EU seed market is not healthy. It is
not diversified,” said Bart Staes, a Green MEP from Belgium who
presented the report, ‘Concentration of market power in the EU seed market’.

The Greens say that the concentration of power in the seed market
means that these companies may have had a strong influence over the
European Commission in its seed and plant reproductive material marketing proposals.

These proposals, which the Commission presented to the EU legislature in May last year “benefit the seed lobby”, said Staes.

Garlich von Essen, the secretary general of the European Seed
Association, which represents about 30 national seed associations from
the EU member states, said that the figure of 7000 smaller companies was
“pretty accurate”.

The figure was the same as those given by an external evaluator to
the European Commission. “I’m pretty confident [the Commission] did not
just copy-paste the ESA figures”, he said.

 

A wheat field near Tolleshunt d'Arcy in the United Kingdom. Rwendland photo.