Comment les Big Five de l'agriculture prospèrent en période de crise

The 'Big Five' agricultural traders—ADM, Bunge, Cargill, COFCO, and LDC (collectively ABCCD)—dominate the global trade of staples like grains, corn, soy, and sugar, controlling 70% to 90% of the commercial grain trade. During the 2021-2022 food price surge, these companies saw net profits increase by 200% to 300% compared to the 2016-2020 average. The author contends that this was achieved through strategic market consolidation, vertical integration, and inter-company cooperation, often facilitated by the EU's restrictive competition policy, which focuses primarily on immediate consumer prices rather than cumulative social harm. The document highlights the recent approval of the $34 billion Bunge-Viterra merger as evidence of regulatory failure and advocates for a transition toward an economy based on degrowth and decarbonization to dismantle the incentives for market concentration.

• Five multinational companies, known as the ABCCD (Archer Daniels Midland, Bunge, Cargill, China Oil and Foodstuffs Corporation, and Louis Dreyfus Company), hold a near-monopoly on global staples and control between 70% and 90% of the commercial grain trade.
• The ABCCD experienced a dramatic increase in net profits during the 2021-2022 food crisis, with gains ranging from 200% to 300% compared to the stable period of 2016-2020.
• The European Union's competition policy is described as under-utilized and restrictive, having blocked fewer than 1% of notified concentrations since 1990 and approving 60 merger and acquisition cases involving the Big Five.
• The ABCCD employ three primary strategies to maintain market dominance: market consolidation through mergers and acquisitions, vertical integration across the value chain (from seeds to transport), and interconnection through joint ventures and shared technology like the Covantis blockchain platform.
• The companies' ability to influence prices is bolstered by their massive grain storage capacities, which allow them to withhold stocks until prices peak.
• The EU Commission's approval of the $34 billion merger between Bunge and Viterra, without an in-depth investigation, is cited as a failure of regulatory oversight despite warnings from the Canadian Competition Bureau regarding anti-competitive effects.

APA

Kiezebrink, A. G. Ç. Ç. V. (2026). Comment les Big Five de l'agriculture prospèrent en période de crise. Green European Journal. https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/comment-les-big-five-de-lagriculture-prosperent-en-periode-de-crise/

Chicago

Kiezebrink, Audrey Gaughran, Çağrı Çavuş, Vincent. Comment les Big Five de l'agriculture prospèrent en période de crise. Green European Journal, 2026. https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/comment-les-big-five-de-lagriculture-prosperent-en-periode-de-crise/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Kiezebrink |first1=Audrey Gaughran, Çağrı Çavuş, Vincent |title=Comment les Big Five de l'agriculture prospèrent en période de crise |publisher=Green European Journal |date=5 February 2026 |url=https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/comment-les-big-five-de-lagriculture-prosperent-en-periode-de-crise/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{kiezebrink2026comment, author = {Kiezebrink, Audrey Gaughran, Çağrı Çavuş, Vincent}, title = {{Comment les Big Five de l'agriculture prospèrent en période de crise}}, institution = {Green European Journal}, year = {2026}, month = feb, url = {https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/comment-les-big-five-de-lagriculture-prosperent-en-periode-de-crise/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }