SEEDS STUDY

20 / 40

20
Biotech and concentration
The multinational companies operating in the EU have managed to dominate a large part of the seed
market mainly by buying up other seed companies. The EU system is less affected by this concentration and
consolidation process compared to the USA43. This may be linked to “…the emergence of biotechnologies
as the key driver of the consolidation process that has taken place in the global seed industry” 44. As stated
by the European Parliament policy department: because the EU has to some extent protected itself, at least
in refraining from cultivating GM crops on a large scale, concentration has so far not been as profound
in the EU as in the USA. The existence of the European common catalogue in itself has not defended
the European seed sector against the concentration process, but has obliged multinational companies
to adapt their strategies to this market: their strategy has been to focus more on the acquisition of local
companies and on improving hybrids of conventional varieties. For instance, in July 2013, Monsanto
confirmed that they are “actually expanding… [their] operations in the conventional seed business in
Europe, ... investing several hundred million dollars there over a decade to expand our conventional seed
production and breeding… The EU today is effectively a conventional seed market”.45
Despite this, many of the giant seed corporations operating in the EU expect that this market will be soon
open to GM seeds. This is the case for Limagrain, who are developing research programmes in order to
create new GM varieties specifically for the European market.46
43.
44. 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. 7,
45.
46. Document de référence 2012-2013, Vilmorin & Cie November 2013, p. 22,