ETC Group and EcoNexus have issued reports surrounding the corporate control that is entrenched in the global food chain. The reports delve in to the dominance of the agricultural sector particularly in the industrial farm inputs such as animal feed production, livestock breeding, fertilizers/pesticides and seed production amongst others. Their findings show the devastation that these monopolies are causing to local farmers as their local breeds and food crop varieties have been lost.
29 October, 2013 | ETC Group, EcoNexus
Reports Show Corporate Control Entrenched in Global Food Chain
ETC Group and EcoNexus have issued reports surrounding the corporate control that is entrenched in the global food chain. See the reports below:
Putting the Cartel before the Horse...and Farm, Seeds, Soil and Peasants etc: Who Will Control the Agricultural Inputs?
4 September, 2013 | ETC Group
ETC Group has been monitoring the power and global reach of agro-industrial corporations for several decades – including the increasingly consolidated control of agricultural inputs for the industrial food chain: proprietary seeds and livestock genetics, chemical pesticides and fertilizers and animal pharmaceuticals. Collectively, these inputs are the chemical and biological engines that drive industrial agriculture.
In this Communiqué, ETC Group identifies the major corporate players that control industrial farm inputs. Together with our companion poster, Who will feed us? The industrial food chain or the peasant food web?, ETC Group aims to de-construct the myths surrounding the effectiveness of the industrial food system. In addition to data on private sector plant breeding and the commercial seed and agrochemical industries, the report includes market data for the fertilizer and animal pharmaceutical industries, as well as the highly concentrated livestock genetics industry and the fast-growing aquaculture industry.
For the report please click here:
http://www.etcgroup.org/sites/www.etcgroup.org/files/CartelBeforeHorse11Sep2013.pdf
For the article please click here:
http://www.etcgroup.org/putting_the_cartel_before_the_horse_2013
For the companion poster please click here:
http://www.etcgroup.org/content/poster-who-will-feed-us-industrial-food-chain-or-peasant-food-webs
AGROPOLY - A handful of corporations control world food production
September, 2013 | EcoNexus & Berne Declaration
In just 18 pages, Agropoly shows how a handful of companies have come to dominate the agro-industries for:
- animal feed production: one third of agricultural land goes to produce animal feed;
- livestock breeding: in chicken breeding, for example, the top 4 companies have 99% market share of the genetics;
- seed production: the top 10 seed corporations have a 75% market share of the commercial market;
- commodity production, processing, trade and retail: the revenues of the three biggest supermarket corporations are larger than the GNP of many states;
- fertiliser and pesticide manufacture: the latter also controlled by seed corporations.
One result is that many local breeds and food crop varieties have already been lost to us and the decline continues.
This consolidation is relentless, with governments shaping policies to suit corporations and their investors, not citizens. Agropoly highlights the pressing need to act now, working with peasant farmers and small-scale food providers to develop inclusive and just food regimes that provide nutritious food for all.
For the report please click here:
http://www.econexus.info/sites/econexus/files/Agropoly_Econexus_BerneDeclaration.pdf
For the article please click here:
http://www.econexus.info/publication/agropoly-handful-corporations-control-world-food-production
