REACTION TO DECEMBER 28 DECREE TO

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ROME 000134

SIPDIS

STATE PASS USDA FOR HEGWOOD
USDA FOR FAS/OA/CHAMBLISS AND SLUTSKY;
COTS/BLUM;ITP/SHEIKH AND MACKE;
FAA/NE/WILSON;
DOS/EB/TPP/ATT; EUR/ERA; E-ASHUB; EB-GADSDEN

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAGR ETRD EU ETRD EU IT ICSCA ITEAGR ICSCA
SUBJECT: REACTION TO DECEMBER 28 DECREE TO
SURVEY GMO-FREE SUPPLIES OF SOY AND CORN SEED
FOR PLANTING; PM OFFICE MADE AWARE OF U.S.
UNCLASSIFIED


PAGE 02 ROME 00134 01 OF 02 100812Z
CONCERNS.

SENSITIVE

REFS. ROME 42 AND ROME 68


1. SUMMARY. CONFAGRICOLTURA, ONE OF ITALY'S
LEADING FARMER ORGANIZATIONS, TOLD AG
MINCOUNSELOR THAT IT HAS A COMMITMENT FROM
AGMINISTER ALEMANNO TO INTRODUCE A TOLERANCE
OF 0.3-0.5 PERCENT FOR ADVENTITIOUS PRESENCE
IN CORN AND SOYBEAN SEEDS FOR PLANTING SHOULD
THE ITALIAN SEED CERTIFICATION ASSOCIATION
(ENSE) CONCLUDE THERE ARE INADEQUATE SUPPLIES
OF GM-FREE CONVENTIONAL CORN AND SOYBEAN
SEEDS AVAILABLE TO MEET ITALIAN NEEDS.
CONFAGRICOLTURA CAUTIONED THAT RIVAL FARM
ORGANIZATION, COLDIRETTI, IS STRONGLY AGAINST
ANY TOLERANCE LEVEL FOR ADVENTITIOUS PRESENCE
AND WAS SEEKING TO CONVINCE ALEMANNO THAT
ADEQUATE SUPPLIES OF GMO-FREE CONVENTIONAL
SEEDS EXIST. CONFAGRICOLTURA BELIEVES THE
PROSPECTS FOR ALEMANNO IMPLEMENTING A
TOLERANCE OF 0.3-0.5 PERCENT ARE PRETTY GOOD,
PROVIDED THAT THE MAJOR SEED SUPPLING
COMPANIES (I.E. PIONEER, MONSANTO, AND
SYNGENTA) REMAIN UNIFIED AND REAFFIRM THAT
THEY CANNOT GUARANTEE ZERO ADVENTITIOUS
PRESENCE IN THEIR CONVENTIONAL SEEDS.
CONFAGRICOLTURA ALSO PUBLISHED A PRESS
RELEASE TODAY STATING ITS OPPOSITION TO ANY
UNCLASSIFIED

PAGE 03 ROME 00134 01 OF 02 100812Z
LOWERING SEED QUALITY STANDARDS. IN A
SEPARATE MEETING, CDA POPE SHARED U.S.
CONCERNS WITH PM DIPLOMATIC ADVISOR
CASTELLENETTA. END SUMMARY.

MEETING WITH CONFAGRICOLTURA


2. AGMIN COUNSELOR, AG ATTACHE MURPHY, AND
SENIOR AGRICULTURAL SPECIALIST MET JAN.9 WITH
THE PRESIDENT AND SENIOR LEADERS OF
CONFAGRICOLTURA, ONE OF THE THREE MAJOR
ITALIAN FARMERS ORGANIZATIONS. AGMIN
COUNSELOR LEARNED THAT ITALIAN MINISTER OF
AGRICULTURE GIANNI ALEMANNO CONSULTED WITH
ALL THREE ORGANIZATIONS, COFAGRICOLTURA,
COLDIRETTI, AND CONFEDERAZIONE ITALIANA
AGRICOLTORI, BEFORE ISSUING THE DECEMBER 28,
2001 DECREE (SEE REFTELS). ACCORDING TO
CONFAGRICOLTURA, ALEMANNO WAS PREPARED AT
THAT TIME TO IMPLEMENT A TOLERANCE FOR
ADVENTITIOUS PRESENCE OF 0.3-0.5 PERCENT FOR
CORN AND SOYBEAN SEEDS. HOWEVER, COLDIRETTI,
THE LARGEST OF ITALY'S THREE FARMER
ORGANIZATIONS, EXPRESSED VEHEMENT OPPOSITION,
FORCING ALEMANNO TO TAKE A MORE CIRCUITOUS
TACK IN ORDER TO GARNER SUFFICIENT POLITICAL
COVER. ALEMANNO THUS AGREED WITH THE THREE
FARM LEADERS FOR THE MINAG'S SEED AGENCY,
ENSE, TO DETERMINE WHETHER THERE ARE
SUFFICIENT SUPPLIES OF CONVENTIONAL SEEDS
AVAILABLE WITH ZERO ADVENTITIOUS PRESENCE.
UNCLASSIFIED

PAGE 04 ROME 00134 01 OF 02 100812Z


3. THE DEC. 28 DECREE SURPRISED
CONFAGRICOLTURA IN THAT THEIR DISCUSSION WITH
ALEMANNO DID NOT INCLUDE THE POSSIBILITY OF
LOWER STANDARDS FOR GERMINATION RATES. THE
PUBLISHED VERSION ADDS THE CLAUSE RELAXING
STANDARDS, A LIKELY CONCESSION TO COLDIRETTI
AND OTHERS, BUT CONFAGRICOLTURA DISCOUNTS
THIS AS A LIKELY SCENARIO.


4. CONFAGRICOLTURA WAS RELATIVELY CONFIDENT
THAT ALEMANNO WOULD IMPLEMENT A TOLERANCE FOR
ADVENTITIOUS PRESENCE WITH ONE CAVEAT-- THE
MAJOR SEED SUPPLIERS MUST REMAIN UNITED AND
REAFFIRM THEY CANNOT GUARANTEE ZERO PRESENCE
FOR GMOS IN THEIR CONVENTIONAL SEEDS. SHOULD
ENSE CONCLUDE THAT SUFFICIENT SUPPLIES OF
GMO-FREE CONVENTIONAL SEED EXIST, COLDIRETTI
IS LIKELY TO WIN THE DAY. CONFAGRICOLTURA
SOUGHT ASSURANCES THAT PIONEER AND THE OTHER
SUPPLIERS WOULD MAKE CLEAR THEIR INABILITY TO
GUARANTEE ZERO ADVENTITIOUS PRESENCE. (FYI,
EMBASSY HAS SHARED CONFAGRICOLTURA'S CONCERNS
AND RECOMMENDATION WITH PIONEER AND OTHER
SUPPLIERS.) CONFAGRICOLTURA ACKNOWLEDGED THAT

UNCLASSIFIED

UNCLASSIFIED PTQ0677

PAGE 01 ROME 00134 02 OF 02 100812Z
ACTION EUR-00

INFO LOG-00 AID-00 CEA-01 CIAE-00 COME-00 CTME-00 DODE-00
ITCE-00 SRPP-00 EB-00 EXME-00 E-00 UTED-00 VC-00
FRB-00 H-01 TEDE-00 INR-00 ITC-01 L-00 AC-01
NSAE-00 NSCE-00 OES-01 OMB-01 OPIC-01 PC-01 PM-00
ACE-00 SP-00 SSO-00 SS-00 STR-00 TEST-00 TRSE-00
USIE-00 SNIS-00 NISC-00 PMB-00 DRL-02 G-00 SAS-00
/010W
-------------- 55AE42 100812Z /38
R 100805Z JAN 02
FM AMEMBASSY ROME
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 1583
USDA FAS WASHDC 1960
INFO EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 02 OF 02 ROME 000134

SIPDIS

STATE PASS USDA FOR HEGWOOD
USDA FOR FAS/OA/CHAMBLISS AND SLUTSKY;
COTS/BLUM;ITP/SHEIKH AND MACKE;
FAA/NE/WILSON;
DOS/EB/TPP/ATT; EUR/ERA; E-ASHUB; EB-GADSDEN

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAGR ETRD EU ETRD EU IT ICSCA ITEAGR ICSCA
SUBJECT: REACTION TO DECEMBER 28 DECREE TO
SURVEY GMO-FREE SUPPLIES OF SOY AND CORN SEED
FOR PLANTING; PM OFFICE MADE AWARE OF U.S.
UNCLASSIFIED

PAGE 02 ROME 00134 02 OF 02 100812Z
CONCERNS.

SMALL PRODUCERS COULD COME UP WITH SMALL
SUPPLIES OF NON-GMO SEEDS, BUT THAT NONE OF
THE MAJOR SEED COMPANIES CAN DO SO IN
QUANTITIES WHICH ARE SUFFICIENT FOR PLANTING
ITALY'S CUSTOMARY 1.3 MILLION HECTARES OF
CORN.


5. CONFAGRICOLTURA ALSO INDICATED THAT IF
ALEMANNO IMPLEMENTS A TOLERANCE OF
ADVENTITIOUS PRESENCE IT WOULD LIKELY ENTAIL
A 0.3 PERCENT TOLERANCE FOR CORN SEED AND A
0.5 PERCENT TOLERANCE FOR SOYBEAN SEED.
CONFAGRICOLTURA UNDERSTANDS THAT THERE WOULD
BE NO MENTION OF SPECIFIC EVENTS (APPROVED
VS. UNAPPROVED). CORN SEED SUPPLIES ARE OF
PARTICULAR CONCERN TO CONFAGRICOLTURA.
SOYBEAN SEEDS ARE OF LESSER CONCERN GIVEN
SOYBEAN PLANTINGS IN ITALY NEXT SEASON ARE
EXPECTED TO DECLINE TO LESS THAN 200,000
HECTARES BECAUSE OF LOWER PRICES.

CDA MEETING WITH PM DIPLOMATIC ADVISOR
CASTELLENETTA


6. THE CHARGE, IN A CALL ON PM DIPLOMATIC
ADVISOR CASTELLENETTA, RAISED THE TALKING
POINTS IN REFTEL (ROME 68). HE STRESSED AS
WELL THAT WE ARE APPRECIATIVE OF THE INITIAL
STEPS TAKEN BY THE PM'S OFFICE TO REOPEN
UNCLASSIFIED

PAGE 03 ROME 00134 02 OF 02 100812Z
DISCUSSION ON AGRICULTURAL BIOTECHNOLOGIES
AND THE PM'S DIRECTION THAT PROFESSOR
LEONARDO SANTI SHOULD EXPLORE WITH US AN
AGREEMENT ON BIOTECH COOPERATION SIMILAR TO
THE ONE WE CONCLUDED LAST SUMMER ON CLIMATE
CHANGE RESEARCH. THE CHARGE ALSO MENTIONED
THAT WE HAD RECEIVED THE ENVIRONMENT
MINISTRY'S REQUEST TO CONSIDER AN INFORMAL
BILATERAL DISCUSSION OF GMOS IN NEW YORK AT
THE END OF JANUARY.


7. CASTELLANETA, WHO WAS INSTRUMENTAL IN
ACHIEVING THE CLIMATE CHANGE RESEARCH
ACCORD, KNEW ABOUT AND WAS POSITIVE TOWARD
PROF. SANTI'S APPROACH TO THE EMBASSY. HE
DID NOT SEEM TO BE AWARE OF THE ENVIRONMENT
MINISTRY'S PROPOSAL BUT LIKED IT.


8. CHARGE CONTINUED THAT, DESPITE THESE
POSITIVE SIGNS, THE USG IS PUZZLED AT AND
CONCERNED ABOUT AG MINISTER ALEMANNO'S
DECEMBER 28 DIRECTIVE. HANDING CASTELLANETA
A COPY, THE CHARGE NOTED THAT OUR READING OF
THE DECREE INDICATES THAT IT WOULD ERECT NEW
BARRIERS TO GMOS. THIS WOULD NOT BE IN
KEEPING WITH DISCUSSIONS BETWEEN PRESIDENT
BUSH AND PM BERLUSCONI AND OTHER EXCHANGES WE
HAVE HAD WITH MUCH OF THE GOI. CASTELLANETA
SUGGESTED THAT PERHAPS ALEMANNO WAS TRYING TO
DEMONSTRATE THAT IT IS NOT POSSIBLE TO GET
DOWN TO ZERO PERCENT GMO CONTENT IN SEEDS.
UNCLASSIFIED

PAGE 04 ROME 00134 02 OF 02 100812Z
CHARGE REPLIED THAT HE HOPED THAT WAS THE
INTENT, BUT THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE DECREE'S
APPEARANCE AND OUR READING OF IT CONCERN US.
CASTELLANETA ADMITTED THAT HE WAS NOT SURE
BUT PROMISED TO LOOK INTO IT. (NOTE: LATER,
A CASTELLANETA AIDE CALLED CHARGE TO SAY THAT
HE ALREADY HAD BEEN IN TOUCH WITH ALEMANNO'S
OFFICE TO GET DETAILS. END NOTE.)
POPE

UNCLASSIFIED

>
2002ROME00134 - Classification: UNCLASSIFIED