AGRICULTURE MINISTER ORDERS SEED

UNCLAS ROME 000042

SIPDIS

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

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAGR ETRD EU IT ICSCA
SUBJECT: AGRICULTURE MINISTER ORDERS SEED
CERTIFICATION AGENCY TO QUANTIFY GMO-FREE
SOURCES FOR SOY AND CORN SEED FOR PLANTING.


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1. SUMMARY. THE ITALIAN MINISTER OF
AGRICULTURE ORDERED THE NATIONAL SEED
CERTIFICATION ENTITY (ENSE) TO PROVIDE BY
JANUARY 12 ASSESSMENT OF THE AVAILABILITY OF
GMO-FREE SOY AND CORN SEEDS FOR PLANTING. TO
CONSIDER AN EXPANSION OF THE POTENTIAL
SOURCES OF NON-GM SEEDS FOR THE 2002 PLANTING
SEASON, THE MINISTER CONTEMPLATES RESCINDING
EXISTING MINIMUM STANDARDS ON SEED
GERMINATION FOR THESE TWO SEED TYPES.
MINISTER ALEMANNO WILL DECLARE A TOLERANCE
FOR ADVENTITIOUS PRESENCE OF GM MATERIAL IN
SEEDS FOR PLANTING BASED ON THE FINDINGS OF
THE ENSE STUDY. END SUMMARY.


2. ITALIAN MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE GIOVANNI
ALEMANNO ISSUED A DECREE DECEMBER 28, 2001
REQUIRING A SURVEY ON AVAILABILITY OF SOY AND
CORN SEED WHICH ARE FREE FROM ADVENTITIOUS
PRESENCE OF GENETICALLY MODIFIED MATERIAL.
THE SEED CERTIFICATION INSTITUTE WHICH WILL
CARRY OUT THE SURVEY IS ENTE NAZIONALE
SEMENTI ELETTE, ENSE, A TECHNICAL OFFICE
FUNDED BY THE MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND
DIRECTED BY A BOARD APPOINTED BY THE
MINISTER. IN THE DEC 28 DECREE ALEMANNO
PRESUMED A CONSENSUS AMONG ITALIAN PRODUCERS
TO KEEP THE ITALIAN FOOD CHAIN FREE OF GMOS.


3. THE DECREE STATES THAT IN ORDER TO
CONSIDER SOURCES OF CORN AND SOYBEAN SEEDS
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FOR PLANTING WHICH ARE ABLE TO COMPLY WITH A
ZERO TOLERANCE FOR GM MATERIAL, CURRENT
MINIMUM STANDARDS FOR SEED GERMINATION RATES
MAY BE SUSPENDED. IN ORDER TO BE MARKETED IN
ITALY SEED CORN IS CURRENTLY REQUIRED TO HAVE
A GERMINATION RATE OF AT LEAST 90 PERCENT AND
SOYBEAN SEED MUST GERMINATE AT 80 PERCENT.


4. DATA ON SEED SALES FOR 2000 SHOW THAT THE
UNITED STATES SUPPLIED HALF, BY VALUE, OF
ITALY'S CORN SEED IMPORTS. THE UNITED STATES
SUPPLIED ABOUT EIGHTY FOUR PERCENT OF ITALY'S
IMPORTS OF SOYBEAN SEED FOR PLANTING IN THE
SAME YEAR. THE VALUE OF UNITED STATES SALES
OF THE TWO TYPES OF SEED WAS APPROXIMATELY
DOLS 32 MILLION.


5. COMMENT: THIS DECREE IS NOT ONLY
UNEXPECTED BUT IT ALSO APPEARS TO CONTRADICT
WHAT ALEMANNO TOLD SECRETARY VENEMAN IN
NOVEMBER 2001. DURING SECRETARY VENEMAN'S
MEETING WITH ALEMANNO HE VOLUNTEERED THAT
ZERO TOLERANCE FOR GMOS WAS UNATTAINABLE. WE
HAVE SEEN SIGNALS FROM ALEMANNO THAT HE IS
BECOMING MORE ANTI-GMO SINCE THAT TIME. THIS
POST'S SOUNDING OF THE SKELETAL EPIPHANY WEEK
GOI REVEALS NO INDICATION THAT THE DECREE IS
ANYTHING BUT AN ALEMANNO MINISTRY OF
AGRICULTURE INITIATIVE. WE ARE DEVELOPING
INTERVENTION RECOMMENDATIONS. END COMMENT.

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6. SELECTED TEXT OF ALEMANNO DECREE FOLLOWS:
- A. BY JANUARY 12,2002, ENSE WILL CARRY OUT
A MARKET SURVEY IN ORDER TO DETERMINE THE
QUANTITIES OF CONVENTIONAL CORN AND SOY SEED
WITH ZERO TOLERANCE THRESHOLD FOR GMO
PRESENCE AVAILABLE OR ACQUIRABLE FOR THE
ITALIAN MARKET FOR THE 2002 PLANTING SEASON,
AND ALSO WITH REFERENCE TO THE QUANTITIES OF
SUCH SEEDS MEETING THE PURITY THRESHOLD BUT
WITH GERMINATION RATE BELOW THE THRESHOLD
DETERMINED BY NATIONAL NORMS IN FORCE.
- B. THE MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURAL POLICY
WILL OBTAIN, BY THE SAME DATE, THE
EVALUATIONS OF THE COMPETENT REGIONAL
COMMISSION FOR AGRICULTURE.
- C. A FUTURE DECREE, TO BE ISSUED BY
JANUARY 16, 2002, WILL DETERMINE THE
TOLERANCE THRESHOLDS FOR THE PRESENCE OF GMOS
FOR THE 2002 PLANTING SEASON. SEMBLER

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2002ROME00042 - Classification: UNCLASSIFIED