a. Trade Associations,
Lobby Groups and Opinion Forming
Syngenta are members of, or back, a number of trade associations and
lobby groups including:
ABC/ABE http://www.abcinformation.org/
In early 2002 Syngenta along with BASF, Bayer CropScience, Dow Agrosciences,
DuPont and Monsanto set up the Agricultural Biotechnology Council
(ABC). Not to be confused with AEBC (the Agriculture and Environment
Biotechnology Commission, the Government strategic advisory body on
biotechnology issues affecting agriculture and the environment) the
ABC is intended to be an information and education service on behalf
of the UK agricultural biotechnology industry, promoting ‘a fair
debate surrounding the production of GM crops’.[21] It is thought
likely that the ABC will play an increasingly important role in representing
the interests of the agricultural biotechnology industry during the
UK public debate on GM crops in early 2003. Stephen Smith head of
Syngenta Seeds Ltd and chair of the BSPB (see below) is also chair
of the ABC. The ABC is the UK arm of Agricultural Biotechnology in
Europe (ABE) which is a similar, but EU-wide, industry initiative.
CropGen http://www.cropgen.org
Along with Dow AgroSciences, Monsanto and Bayer CropScience, Syngenta
sponsors CropGen, an industry initiative which aims to ‘make
the case for crop biotechnology and help achieve a more balanced debate
about genetically modified (GM) crops in the UK.’ CropGen consists
of a panel of independent, but very pro-GM, scientists and specialists[22].
The panel provides commentary on GM issues from a pro-GM, but supposedly
non-corporate stance. CropGen claims that its panel of scientists
is independent, pointing out that the companies have signed an undertaking
that they cannot veto any of the scientific positions taken by the
panel. Three of CropGen's 'independent' panel members, Dr Nigel Halford,
Dr Peter Lutman and Dr Guy Poppy, work for the Institute of Arable
Crops Research (IACR)[126] <http://www.corporatewatch.org.uk/publications/GEBriefings/aventis7.html>.
IACR is part of the research consortium which has contracts worth
£3.3 million with the Government to conduct ecological monitoring
of the farm-scale trials.[23] It also has research partnerships with
Bayer CropScience, Novartis and DuPont [24]
Crop Protection Association http://www.baa.org.uk/
Syngenta is a member of the Crop Protection Association (formerly
the British Agrochemicals Association). The CPA represents, and lobbies
on behalf of, the agrochemical and agricultural biotechnology industry
at a UK level. It is also one of the organisations that make up SCIMAC,
the industry body established in June 1998 to support the ‘responsible
and effective introduction of GM crops in the UK’. This includes
running GM farm scale trials in conjunction with the Department of
the Environment Transport and Regions (DETR).
European Crop Protection Association (ECPA) http://www.ecpa.be
The CPA is also affiliated to the ECPA. Syngenta along with the
usual suspects (BASF, Bayer CropScience, Dow AgroScience, Dupont and
Monsanto) make up the core membership of the ECPA. Based in Brussels
the ECPA represents, promotes, and lobbies on behalf of the crop protection
industry at a European level. Michael Pragnell, CEO of Syngenta AG,
is president of the ECPA.
BSPB (British Society of Plant Breeders)
Syngenta Seeds is a member of the BSPB. Stephen Smith of Syngenta
Seeds Ltd is chair of the board of the BSPB.[25] The BSPB represents
the seed industry as a whole on technical, regulatory and intellectual
property matters. As well as participating in SCIMAC (see below) recent
BSPB activities have included lobbying for reforms to the UK seed
certification process (including national seed listing trials) to
reduce cost to plant breeders, lobbying both the UK government and
EU for the acceptance of traces of GM material in supplies of non-GM
seed. The BSPB have also lobbied hard for the introduction of a scheme
whereby seed producers are remunerated by farmers for farm saved seed
(i.e. seed not purchased from seed companies).[26]
SCIMAC (Supply Chain Initiative on Modified Agricultural
Crops) www.ukasta.org.uk/news/scimac/
SCIMAC was founded in June 1998 'to support the responsible and
effective introduction of GM crops in the UK'. SCIMAC is responsible
for the selection of sites for the government backed GM Farm Scale
Trial programme. It also publishes a set of management guidelines
for GM herbicide tolerant crops. [27]' Syngenta is a member of at
least two of the five agricultural organisations that make up SCIMAC:
British Society of Plant Breeders (BSPB), Crop Protection Association
(CPA), National Farmers Union (NFU), United Kingdom Agricultural Supply
Trade Association (UKASTA) and British Sugar Beet Seed Producers Association
(BSBSPA).
Europabio (European Association for Bioindustries)
http://www.europabio.org
Syngenta belongs to of Europabio a European pro biotech lobby
group which encourages the EU and national governments to develop
policies that are supportive of biotechnology
International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) http://www.iccwbo.org
Whilst Syngenta is not listed as a member on the ICC website,
its predecessors Sandoz, Ciba-Geigy, Novartis, Astra and Zeneca are
all listed as members, and Dr Willy de Greef Head of Regulatory affairs
at Syngenta is the chair of the ICC Commision on Biosociety. The ICC
is the world’s largest business lobby group. It is compromised
of over 7000 companies world-wide, and dominated by 50-100 of the
worlds largest and most powerful transnational corporations. The ICC
has always been a key player in the push for greater global market
deregulation, trade liberalisation and industry self regulation, and
has had a major influence on UN and WTO and agreements.
World Business Council for Sustainable Development
(WBCSD) www.wbcsd.org
150 transnational corporations including Syngenta make up the
WBCSD and are represented by their respective Chief Executive Officers
(CEOs). It was formed in 1995 as a result of the amalgamation of the
SCSD and the environmental wing of the ICC, the World Industry Council
for Environment. The WBCSD professes that it is united by a 'shared
commitment to sustainable development'. It claims to pursue this goal
via the three pillars of economic growth, environmental protection
and social equity.
Business Action on Sustainable Development (BASD)
http://www.basd-action.net
BASD is a joint venture between ICC and WBCSD formed initially
to represent the interests of corporations in the build up to, and
during, the UN World Summit on Sustainable Development (RIO+10) in
Johannesburg in 2002. For more information on the BASD go to <http://www.aseed.net/un-corporated/uncorp-frameset.htm>
and <http://www.corporatewatch.org.uk/newsletter/issue5/nl5ed.html>
b. Research and
education
UK Universities
Syngenta fund research and facilities in a number of UK universities
including University of Reading[28] and University of Cambridge.[29]
John Innes Centre http://www.jic.bbsrc.ac.uk/
Syngenta have recently withdrawn from a major research partnership
with the John Innes Centre/Sainsbury Laboratory in Norwich.[30] The
partnership on wheat genomics research was initially instigated by
one of Syngenta’s predecessor companies Zeneca and was worth
£50 million[31]
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
(BBSCR) http://www.bbsrc.ac.uk
The BBSRC is the body responsible for allocating state funding
for research into biotechnology and biological science in the UK.
As such the BBSRC has a huge degree of influence over the direction
taken by researchers in these areas in UK universities. Syngenta is
the most prominently represented company on the BBSRC’s board
and committees. This includes Dr P Doyle Director of Syngenta AG (chair
of the board), Dr S Bright (Strategy Board) Dr Andy Greenland (Genes
Development and Biology Committee), Dr Ray Elliot (plant and microbial
sciences committee) and Mr Kim Travis (Agri-food committee).[32]
University of California Berkeley
In 1998 the Department of Plant and Microbial Biology at the University
of California, Berkeley signed a five-year collaborative research
agreement worth up to $25 million with Novartis. In 2000 Syngenta
agreed to carry on this programme of funding. It has been suggested
that anxiety to maintain good relations with a major source of funding
has been influential in the department’s backlash against the
work of two of its academics. In late 2001 assistant professor Ignacio
Chapela and graduate student David Quist published an article in the
journal Nature which concluded that the native Mexican corn population
had been contaminated by GM varieties, something that shouldn’t
be possible as the commercial growing of GM corn is still illegal
in Mexico. The article prompted a savage response from some members
of the scientific community and was eventually retracted by Nature.
Members of their own department were quick to condemn Chapela and
Quist.[33]
Consultative Group on International Agricultural
Research (CGIAR) www.cgiar.org
CGIAR operates a number of international agricultural research
centres and seed banks whose mission statement is ‘To contribute
to food security and poverty eradication in developing countries through
research, partnerships, capacity building, and policy support, promoting
sustainable agricultural development based on the environmentally
sound management of natural resources.’[34] Founded in 1971 CGIAR
is a collaborative venture with input and funding a number of organisations
including the UN, the World Bank, various national development organisations
and several private foundations (Ford, Kellogg, Rockefeller). In November
2002 it was announced that the Syngenta Foundation had become a member
of the governing board of CGIAR. The appointment of the Syngenta Foundation
has prompted fierce criticism from NGOs involved in CGIAR. They are
angry at the lack of accountability shown by the organization, its
increasingly pro-business, pro-corporate and pro-biotechnology policies,
its failure to protect farmer rights and its failure to protect the
material held in its gene banks from appropriation by corporations.[35]
c. PR Companies
Syngenta has links to a number of public relations (PR) companies
in the UK.
ABC (see above) was set up and is operated PR
company Weber Shandwick <http://www.webershandwick.com/>
ABE (see above) web site is owned by GCI Mannov[36] Grey Communications
<http://www.mannov.dk/default.asp?ID=368>
The day to day running of CropGen (see above) is handled by
Countrywide Porter Novelli <http://www.countrywidepn.co.uk/>
