AGRICULTURAL BIOTECHNOLOGY:CODEX AD HOC TASK FORCE

UNCLAS MADRID 002985

SIPDIS

STATE FOR EUR/AGS, EB/TPP/ABT - JACK BOBO
DEPT OF AGRICULTURE/SLUTSKY
DEPT OF AGRICULTURE/FAS/ITP FOR WOOLSEY
DEPT OF AGRICULTURE/FAS BSIMMONS
DEPT OF AGRICULTURE/FAS/FAA FOR BLEGGI
BRUSSELS PASS USEU FOR AG MINCOUNS
EU POSTS TO AGRICULTURE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAGR ECON TBIO SP
SUBJECT: AGRICULTURAL BIOTECHNOLOGY:CODEX AD HOC TASK FORCE
ON BIOTECH FOODS

REF: A. (A) AUGUST 12


B. 2005 SCHONANDER-BOBO E-MAIL (B) STATE 147159


1. Trade policy officer discussed contents of ref B on August
12 with the GOS working-level head of the interministerial
working group charged with coordinating Codex issues. His
name is Juan Carlos Calvo (Ministry of Health). Tel : 34 -

9133808883. E-mail: jcalvo@msc.es He will not be attending
the meeting in Japan. Maria Dolores Gomez (Ministry of
Health; Tel: 34 - 913380836; e-mail: mgomezv@msc.es) and
Maria Teresa Calvo (Ministry of Agriculture; Tel: 34 -
913475045; e-mail: tcalvosa@mapya.es) will represent Spain.


2. Calvo said that the GOS is going to coordinate its final
positions in an inter-ministerial meeting on August 26 in
advance of an EU meeting on the subject in Brussels on
September 1. He added that the GOS and the EU support our
proposal on staples. Moroever, labeling and the environment
should be dealt with in other Codex committees or other
international bodies as far as the GOS and the EU were
concerned. Calvo had no information on GOS views with respect
to developing guidance for the food safety assessment of low
levels of material derived from transgenic plants.


3. Comment: Embassy's sense is that as Health and Agriculture
are representing Spain, GOS policies will be science-oriented
and pragmatic However, Spain has a history of not rocking
the boat within the EU unless the issue is of great national
importance so the EU "consensus" coming out of the September
1 meeting will shape Spain's views. We have little sense for
how active Spain will be in the September 1 meeting in
Brussels.
AGUIRRE