PROGRAM EVALUATION FOR U.S. SPEAKERS MAARTEN

UNCLAS ROME 005897 SIPDIS FOR IIP/G/EUR CSIEMONH; IIP/G RCROSS-NAJAFI; IIP/T/ES BDURANT; EUR/PD/TPICKREL NAPLES AND MILAN FOR PAO E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: OIIP PRC SUBJECT: PROGRAM EVALUATION FOR U.S. SPEAKERS MAARTEN CHRISPEELS AND RAY BRESSEN, TRACKER NUMBERS 17185 AND 17186. ¶1. DESCRIPTION OF ACTIVITY: U.S. SPEAKERS MAARTEN CHRISPEELS (UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO) AND RAY BRESSAN (PURDUE UNIVERSITY) ADDRESSED AUDIENCES IN NAPLES, ROME, AND MILAN OCTOBER 21-24 ON THE BENEFITS OF BIOTECHNOLOGY TO AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION IN THE UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 02 ROME 05897 091629Z MEDITERRANEAN REGION. THE SPEAKERS CARRIED THEIR MESSAGE TO A BROAD SEGMENT OF THE ITALIAN PUBLIC, FROM THE ITALIAN FARMER'S ASSOCIATION TO UNIVERSITY RESEARCHERS, CONSUMER ASSOCIATIONS, ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS (INCLUDING GREENPEACE), AND THE PRESS. THE GOAL OF THE PROGRAM WAS TO PROMOTE USG BIOTECHNOLOGY POLICY. THE PROGRAM WAS ORGANIZED AND FUNDED BY PA ROME IN COLLABORATION WITH PA NAPLES, PA MILAN, THE EMBASSY SCIENCE OFFICE, AND THE FOREIGN AGRICULTURAL SERVICE. ¶2. DATES: OCTOBER 21-24, 2002; 1ST QUARTER; FY 2003. ¶3. JUSTIFICATION/OBJECTIVE: THE PURPOSE OF THIS PROGRAM WAS TO PROMOTE USG BIOTECHNOLOGY POLICY BY ENGAGING IN DIALOGUE WITH A BROAD RANGE OF ITALIANS FROM THE SCIENTIFIC, AGRICULTURAL, CONSUMER, AND ENVIRONMENTAL SECTORS AND TO REINFORCE THE MESSAGE THAT BIOTECH FOOD PRODUCTS ARE SAFE FOR THE CONSUMER AND FRIENDLY TO THE ENVIRONMENT. ¶4. MPP UMBRELLA THEMES: MPP GOALS #4 ("PROMOTE MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN ITALY AND THE U.S. THROUGH A BROAD RANGE OF PERSONAL CONTACTS AND EXCHANGES") AND #6 ("PROMOTE IMPROVED ACCESS IN ITALY FOR U.S. GOODS AND SERVICES AND AN INCREASE IN EXPORTS TO ITALY OF U.S. PRODUCTS"). ¶5. AUDIENCE REACHED: IN NAPLES THE PROGRAM WAS CO-SPONSORED BY THE ITALIAN FARMERS' ASSOCIATION AND REACHED ABOUT 100 ITALIAN FARMERS, RESEARCHERS, UNIVERSITY PROFESSORS, ENVIRONMENTALISTS, AND BUSINESSPERSONS INVOLVED IN THE FOOD PROCESSING INDUSTRY. IN ROME THE SPEAKERS HELD A ROUND-TABLE DISCUSSION WITH REPRESENTATIVES FROM CONSUMER ORGANIZATIONS, UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 03 ROME 05897 091629Z LABOR UNIONS, AND ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS, AND HELD MEETINGS WITH OFFICIALS OF THE U.N. FOOD AND AGRICULTURAL ORGANIZATION. IN MILAN, WHERE DR. CHRISPEELS CONTINUED THE PROGRAM ALONE, THE SEMINAR ORGANIZED BY PA MILAN AND THE DEPARTMENT OF GENETICS AND MICROBIOLOGY OF THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF MILAN REACHED AN AUDIENCE OF OVER 100 UNIVERSITY PROFESSORS, RESEARCHERS, AND STUDENTS, AND A LUNCH HOSTED BY THE ITALIAN SOCIETY OF AGRICULTURAL GENETICS WAS ATTENDED BY LEADING ITALIAN BIOTECH EXPERTS. ¶6. RESULT/IMPACT: IN NAPLES THE AUDIENCE WAS RESPONSIVE AND GENERALLY OPEN-MINDED ABOUT THE POTENTIAL OF BIOTECHNOLOGY IN THE ITALIAN CONTEXT. THE PROGRAM CONCLUDED WITH A LIVELY DISCUSSION, DURING WHICH VIRTUALLY ALL PARTICIPANTS AGREED THAT THE ITALIAN GOVERNMENT SHOULD PUSH AHEAD WITH INCREASED RESEARCH IN THE BIOTECH FIELD. THE FARMERS' ASSOCIATION EXPRESSED STRONG INTEREST IN ORGANIZING A SIMILAR PROGRAM IN SOUTHERN ITALY IN 2003. IN ROME THE SPEAKERS MANAGED TO CORRECT FALSE IMPRESSIONS ABOUT BIOTECHNOLOGY HELD BY MANY CONSUMERS IN ITALY. ONE SIMPLE BUT IMPORTANT POINT THEY MADE WAS THAT BIOTECH PRODUCTS ARE CHECKED BY PUBLIC AUTHORITIES IN THE U.S. (I.E. THE FDA) AND THOROUGHLY TESTED BEFORE BEING PUT ON THE MARKET. THIS CAME AS A SURPRISE TO SOME PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS, WHO WERE CONVINCED THAT DECISIONS ABOUT COMMERCIALIZATION WERE BASED SOLELY ON RESEARCH CONDUCTED BY THE PRODUCERS THEMSELVES. IN MILAN THE PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTED THE FACT THAT IN NORTHERN ITALY THE USG CAN NOW COUNT ON A SOLID NETWORK OF EXPERTS FULLY SUPPORTIVE OF USG BIOTECH POLICY. ITALIAN PARTICIPANTS JOINED IN AN INTENSE AND FRUITFUL DISCUSSION WITH PA OFFICERS ON HOW TO COUNTER DISINFORMATION ON BIOTECH PRODUCTS AND OFFERED TO ASSIST IN UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 04 ROME 05897 091629Z THE FUTURE IN COMMUNICATING INFORMATION ABOUT THE ADVANTAGE OF BIOTECH PRODUCTS WITH THE PRESS. ¶7. NON-USG SOURCES OF IN-COUNTRY FUNDING/IN-KIND SUPPORT: CO- SPONSORING INSTITUTIONS PROVIDED PROGRAM VENUES AND HOSTED A LUNCH. ¶8. QUALITY OF U.S. SPEAKERS OFFICE (IIP) SUPPORT: EXCELLENT. POST THANKS PROGRAM OFFICER BARBARA DURANT FOR HER EXCELLENT SUPPORT, WHICH MADE THIS PROGRAM POSSIBLE. SEMBLER. UNCLASSIFIED > 2002ROME05897 - Classification: UNCLASSIFIED