Doesn the fact that genetically modified crops are owned by multinationals mean that international agribusiness companies will control Australian farmers?
Large companies own much of the intellectual property, or knowledge, associated with new applications of gene technology and this concerns many people. However, not all biotechnology-related research relies on large corporations. There are government-funded organisations, such as universities and the CSIRO, both in Australia and internationally, that also conduct research in this area. For instance, the strains of GM cotton in use here were developed in Australia in conjunction with the CSIRO. Modern biotechnology is highly specialised and therefore needs skilled people with expensive laboratories and sophisticated equipment. A large company often has the money to spend on this, and usually has existing facilities and experience. The fact that the companies make profits allows them to invest in new technologies. This is why it is mainly big companies that have the money and skill to develop powerful new medicines, for example. Many other procedures in modern agriculture – such as the c
