Latest Resources
26 June 2018
WEMA’S Bt Maize & Fall Armyworm Africa claims are unscientific and unsubstantiated
Press Release from the African Centre for Biodiversity Johannesburg, June 27 A new research paper BT Maize and the Fall Armyworm in Africa: Debunking industry claims published by the African Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) today, debunks unsubstantiated and unscientific claims made by the biotech machinery, especially the Water Efficient Maize for Africa (WEMA) Project, that […]
31 May 2018
Parliamentary consultation & decision making on SA’s Corporate Seed Bills a Sham!!
The African Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) is deeply concerned that South Africa’s draconian corporate seed Bills were approved by the Parliamentary Select Committee on the 22nd May 2018, with no substantial changes being made. This despite a number of provinces having rejected the Bills entirely on the basis that they did not adequately serve the […]
5 April 2018
A tale of neo-apartheid plans, dodgy dealings and corporate capture: Government support to South ...
Press Release from the African Centre for Biodiversity Johannesburg, Thursday 5 April 2018 Limited transparency, weak accountability, and capture by corporations and politically-connected individuals. These are features of the current South African landscape found in government’s smallholder farmer support programmes, according to a research report by African Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) released today. The report, […]
29 January 2018
Comments on the Competition Amendment Bill 2017
ACB has responded to the Economic Development Department (EDD) call for comments on the Competition Amendment Bill 2017. The amendments aim to strengthen the powers of the competition authorities to proactively investigate and develop remedies to deconcentrate markets. Although we do not agree with EDD’s entire approach to concentration (for example, that concentration and economies […]
3 July 2017
Lobbying papers on South Africa’s Plant Improvement Bill and Plant Breeders’ Rights Bill
Commentary on South Africa’s Plant Improvement Bill and Plant Breeders’ Rights Bill. Read here.
25 May 2017
War Chemical 2,4 D GM maize in SA: in the fields and coming to our plates soon
Press Release from the African Centre for Biodiversity (ACB), Trust for Community Outreach and Education (TCOE) and the Commercial & the Stevedoring, Agricultural and Allied Workers Union (CSAAWU) Thursday, 25 May 2017 The African Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) has published a briefing paper today titled, ‘South Africa and 2,4 D GM maize: Biosafety, Socio economic […]
9 May 2017
South Africa’s Competition Commission gives conditional approval for Bayer-Monsanto merger
In December 2016 Monsanto shareholders voted in favour of the sale of the company to Bayer for US$66 billion, making it the largest-ever foreign corporate takeover by a German company. The deal requires approval from about 30 regulatory agencies around the world. The Competition Commission of South Africa (CCSA) was the first to be officially […]
25 April 2017
Profits, power and myth making: Monsanto’s ‘bogus’ GM drought tolerant maize challenged in South ...
The African Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) has lodged an appeal to the High Court of South Africa to overturn decisions of the GMO authority, the GMO Appeal Board and the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, to commercialise Monsanto’s genetically modified (GM) drought-tolerant (DT) maize seed. More than 25 000 concerned citizens have signed petitions […]
14 March 2017
ACB Submission to Competition Commission on Bayer Monsanto merger
This submission is made by the ABC because of serious public interest concerns about the proposed merger between Bayer and Monsanto. This merger is occurring in the context of other related mergers in agricultural input supply, between ChemChina-Syngenta and Dow-Du Pont. We urge the Commission to consider the wider implications of these mergers beyond a […]
13 February 2017
Bayer-Monsanto merger: An existential threat to South Africa’s food system
In December 2016 Monsanto shareholders voted in favour of the sale of the company to Bayer for US$66 billion, making it the largest-ever foreign corporate takeover by a German company. Both Bayer and Monsanto are major global manufacturers of agrochemicals and seeds, including genetically modified seed. A merged entity would be the world’s largest supplier […]