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

5. Cross-licensing agreements mean further concentration

7. 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

8. 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

9. Agricultural Treadmills https://www.msu.edu/~howardp/foodsystem.html

10. 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

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

12. Global picture 1.Contamination 2.Patents- intellectual property rights on plants and seeds 3.“Saving” Africa

13. 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

14. 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

15. 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

16. 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

17. 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

18. 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

19. What can we do?

20. 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

21. Support action taken worldwide Slow Food Via Campesina 16 th April - family farmers to march on Chicago Mercantile Exchange (International Day of peasant struggle) 26 th April International Seed Day, Patent-Free Seeds, Organic Food and Farmers' Rights

22. Vote with your wallet

23. Get active Food Labelling Review – Melbourne 29 th April http://www.madge.org.au/foodlabelling.php Put in a submission before 14 th May Watch Food Inc in cinemas from 20 th May Join MADGE www.madge.org.au