WASHINGTON, D.C. (Reuters) — Several U.S. federal agencies plan to work together on competition issues in the seed sector as part of a broader push to enhance competition in agriculture, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced earlier this month.
“USDA is laser-focused on standing up for America’s farmers and ranchers by expanding processing capacity, creating fairer markets, and more revenue streams and market opportunities, which helps bring down food costs for families at the grocery store,” agriculture secretary Tom Vilsack said in a statement.
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The USDA, Patent and Trademark Office, Department of Justice, and Federal Trade Commission will form a working group on intellectual property and competition in the seed and agricultural input sector, the department said.
The USDA is also creating a “farmer seed liaison” role to deliver on recommendations in a report released by the agency today on how to promote competition in the seed industry.
More than three quarters of corn and soybean seeds are sold by four companies, according to data cited by USDA.
Three large deals completed in 2017 and 2018 merged six large seed and farm input companies into four: BASF, Bayer, which bought Monsanto, DowDuPont’s Corteva and ChemChina-owned Syngenta.
All three deals were scrutinized by antitrust authorities in the United States, Europe and other markets but were eventually given the green light on condition that certain assets be divested.
