The covid-19 pandemic is viewed as the greatest success story of biotechnology, but it has also highlighted the risks and dangers of the industry, with the development of a deadly disease and a vaccine that has harmed many people.
This covid “success” has led to the New Zealand government introducing the Gene Technology Bill, which contains permissive legislation that favours transnational corporations and ignores public safety and environmental concerns.
The bill’s introduction is believed to be driven by trade negotiations with the US, which wants New Zealand to deregulate biotechnology to pave the way for similar deregulation in Europe.
Meanwhile, Australia already has a Gene Technology Regulator who has announced a project that is proposing to make gene-altered versions of the flu and then test out various genetic drugs and/or vaccines on human volunteers.
If you ask Google what are the biotechnology success stories, it comes up with slim pickings.
First up is a list of patented genetically engineered crops like cotton, soya and corn. These types are paired with proprietary pesticide products.
A March 2023 report from the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (“AMS”) says a consolidation trend within the agricultural seed industry began when the first genetically engineered traits were introduced to the market in the early 1990s. Since then, more than 200 US seed companies have been acquired or gone out of business. The result is a concentration of market share among four seed companies.
A June 2023 report by the USDA Economic Research Service (“ERS”) found that when combined, AgReliant, Bayer, Corteva and Syngenta accounted for 83% of corn seed sales and 78% of soyabean seed sales in the United States from 2018 to 2020. The trend is continuing, Bayer has just announced the consolidation of a further 10 regional seed brands in 2025.
This so-called success story of biotechnology is not about more nutritious strains, increased yields, etc., these largely remain the stuff of myth. It is about the profits of transnational corporations that control a concentration of intellectual property (“IP”) in the form of patented genetics and traits. This has left farmers trapped in an unsustainable cycle of heightened input costs and depressed commodity prices. This is not a route for New Zealand farming to travel. Much of the allure of New Zealand produce is our pristine shores and clean green image. The genetically engineered (“GE”) route leads to corporate slavery, trade barriers, public rejection and rock bottom prices.
Next up on Google is a list of biotech startups that promise a lot, but do they deliver...<<<Read More>>>...