Micro-organisms and industry : a very, very concentrated market
Four industrial groups dominate the market for genetically modified micro-organisms. Of the 272 applications filed that strictly concern GMMs, 173 (64%) are from :– Novozymes (54 applications + 4 via its subsidiary Chr. Hansen) ; – DSM (42 cases + 1 via Biomin GmbH + 1 via Avansya, a joint venture between DSM and Cargill) ; – Danisco/IFF […]
GMO: In the USA, a decade of promises without commercialization
n°173 - octobre / décembre 2023In the USA, in 2012, the authorities decided for the first time to exempt a GMO from regulatory requirements. It was a vine genetically modified by cisgenesis, one of the new techniques of genetic modification. Since then, nearly a hundred « new » GMOs have been the subject of a similar decision. Paradoxically, a decade after this […]
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Farmers’ seed systems, in the light of an alternative
n°172 - juillet / septembre 2023The autonomy of peasant seed systems is a founding element of the agro-ecological shift. Guy Kastler and Antonio Onorati, members of La Via Campesina, use examples to demonstrate the importance of peasant seeds in this movement. Farmers’ seed systems are not a vague aspiration of the ”custodians” of local varieties. Nor are they the aspiration […]
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The ”Réseau Semences Paysannes”:20 years of defence of cultivated biodiversity
n°172 - juillet / septembre 2023Just 20 years ago, over 350 people, including representatives of farmers’ movements and unions, organic and biodynamic farming organisations and NGOs, came together for the first farmers’ seed meetings in France. These meetings marked the birth of the Réseau Semences Paysannes (RSP), a group of collectives working to promote cultivated biodiversity. Twenty years on, where […]
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An opulent and powerless regulatory landscape for declining biodiversity
n°172 - juillet / septembre 2023Environmental standards are proliferating everywhere, yet biodiversity is declining. Over the last fifty years or so, international, European and national standards have been adopted to substantiate mankind’s responsibility towards the environment and to reconcile human activities with its protection. One fact is widely acknowledged : the loss of biodiversity is proceeding with great strides. While some […]
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Farmers burst in international debates on cultivated biodiversity
#172 - 2023 - july - septemberFarmers are organising themselves to defend the preservation and renewal of millions of local peasant seeds in their fields in the arenas of global governance. They are thereby fighting the industry’s attempts to reduce this immense diversity to a few patented gene combinations. Founded in 1993, La Via Campesina (LVC) is now the world’s leading […]
Agroecology, farming that respects the living world
#172 - 2023 - july - septemberIndustrial agriculture is destroying biodiversity (see p.3-5). Yet it is possible to produce without destroying (too much) biodiversity, thanks to agro-ecological practices and a farming organisation based on autonomy. But beware of distortion : agro-ecology can only be peasant-based… Agroecology has the wind in its sails : in France, agricultural research institutes (CIRAD, INRAE, IRD) […]
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Biodiversity and farmers’ rights : still a long way to go
#172 - 2023 - july - septemberThe agriculture/biodiversity interface is legislated by numerous texts (p.10-11). Some of these, such as the « Seeds Treaty » and the Convention on Biological Diversity, are the subject of regular meetings, during which the many debates often struggle to reach decisions. The last two major meetings were no exception to the rule… The international legal framework that […]
Patents on living organisms: a growing appropriation
#176 - 2024 - july-septemberIn a world where biotechnologies are developing at lightning speed, it is essential to think on about the way they are regulated by law and how the legislator anticipates their impact on the ground. This dossier explores the various aspects of this issue, from the battle over patents in the agro-industry, particularly around the Crispr-Cas […]
Intellectual property rights on living beings will be forced to evolve
#176 - 2024 - july-septemberPatents and plant breeders’ rights (PBRs) are the two main IPRs for living organisms, but other suis generis systems are also possible. Patents, the most powerful tool, applies to biotechnological inventions, modified plants, their cells, their genes, etc. The PVC covers plant varieties via their phenotypic (observable) characteristics, provided that they are distinct, uniform and […]
Patents and evolution of the Plant Breeders’ Rights (PBRs)
#176 - 2024 - july-septemberThe PBR is an intellectual property right granted on a plant variety according to four criteria: distinctness, uniformity and stability of its characteristics, as well as novelty compared to known plants. These criteria, as analysed by H. Tordjman in 2008, have historically been preceded by a prior artificial definition of the seed as an object […]
Patents on NGTs, between disputes and desire: the case of Crispr-Cas 9
#176 - 2024 - july-septemberPatents on “new genomic technologies” (NGTs) cover all areas of life, from fundamental research to its applications. The ownership of these patents is shared between the public and private sectors. For the industry, the profit potential of NGTs is considerable, and patents are the major guarantors of this. Crispr-Cas 9, the subject of the main […]