US embassy cable - 03THEHAGUE3141

UNCLAS THE HAGUE 003141 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SECSTATE WASHDC FOR EB/TTP/ABT-D.MALAC, EUR/ERA-HAWLEY- 
YOUNG/SAARNIO 
USDA/FAS FOR BIOTECH GROUP 
 
REF.:  SECSTATE 337475 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAGR, ETRD, TBIO, NL 
SUBJECT: VOTE IN DECEMBER 8 COMMITTEE ON THE FOOD CHAIN DECISION 
ON BT-11 SWEET CORN 
 
1.  In response to request in reftel, Post has followed up with 
Dutch officials on the BT-11 sweet corn vote in the EU Committee 
on the Food Chain. 
 
2.  According to our contacts, the Netherlands voted in favor of 
the Syngenta application for two reasons: it had received a 
favorable review from the European Food Safety Authority and The 
Netherlands is opposed to the moratorium on biotech approvals. 
The member states voting against the approval did so mainly 
because they want to wait until the new biotech legislation has 
been implemented in April 2004. A Dutch Ministry of Agriculture 
official told us The Netherlands doesn't agree that it is 
necessary to wait for implementation of the legislation next year. 
 
3.  One Dutch official told us that even though the new EFSA 
decided this specific GM product is safe, some national food 
safety authorities found this was not the case.  The reasoning of 
these countries is that it should not be established that a GM 
product is not unsafe, but rather that there is evidence to 
conclude it is safe.  SOBEL