SEEDS STUDY

This study has consolidated those limited sources of data and information available for some sections of the

seed sector, since data or information on concentration at all levels is not available, be that in different crop

species or groupings of seeds or in different Member State sub-markets of the EU “market”, or indeed on the

EU/European level. The analyses of the varieties of three crop species, - maize, wheat and tomato - are based on

data on varieties registered in the EU common seed catalogue

and assess what proportion of those varieties

are maintained by the biggest companies in the seed sector. The information coming from these analyses of the

catalogue data was then compared with the real market shares of these companies in the markets of the three

crop species.

The research supporting this study was carried out in November and December 2013.

The EU seed business is an international seed business

According to a recent publication of the European Parliament’s internal policies department:

17.

“The common catalogues of varieties of agricultural plant and vegetable species list the varieties which can be marketed in the EU. Catalogues are based on the registration of plant varieties in EU countries after they have been technically examined there and notified to the Commission. They are published in the Official Journal”, http://ec.europa.eu/food/plant/plant_propagation_material/plant_variety_catalogues_databases/index_en.htm

18.

The EU Seed and Plant Reproductive Material market in perspective: a focus on companies and market shares , Directorate-general for internal policies of the European Parliament, November 2013, Brussels, p. 9, http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/note/join/2013/513994/IPOL-AGRI_NT(2013)513994_EN.pdf

19. Ditto, as previous reference

“

In 2012, the value of the EU seed market reached around

€ 7 billion

. The EU market

represents

20% of the global market

. It ranks n°3 after the United States (27%) and

China (22%), well ahead of the fourth market (Brazil, 6%) ... In an expanding world seeds

market (+76%), the EU market grew by +45% between 2005 and 2012.

France

is by far

the biggest market of the EU (nearly

one third

). A group of

five Member States

(France,

Germany, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands) represents

two thirds

of the EU market.

”

Grasses - 210 - 3%

Sugar Beet - 210 - 3%

Oil and Fibre CroPs - 280 - 4%

Vegetables - 770 - 11%

Seed potatoes - 980 - 14%

Maize - 1820 - 26%

Cereals and pulses - 2730 - 39%

EU SEED

Market

Figure 1:

Breakdown of the EU

seed market per crop.

(figures are in million

€

)