US embassy cable - 04WELLINGTON690

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 WELLINGTON 000690 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EB/TPP/ABT/MALAC AND GOETHERT, EAP/EP/MORIARITY 
AND CHAN, EAP/ANP 
USDA FOR FAS/BIG/SIMMONS, RICHEY,CLARKSON, FAS/ITP/MEYER 
AND FARINA, FAS/ICD/RSED/LAIDIG, WITHERS, AND PETLOCK, 
FAS/FAA/CONLON 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ETRD, TBIO, SENV, EAGR, ECON, NZ 
SUBJECT: NEW ZEALAND PARTICIPATION AT APEC HIGH LEVEL 
POLICY DIALOGUE ON AGRICULTURAL BIOTECHNOLOGY 
 
REF:  USDA FAS 666920 
 
SUMMARY 
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1. Embassy's Agricultural Attach and Economic officer 
discussed the draft workplan for the APEC High Level 
Policy Dialogue on Agricultural Biotechnology (HLPDAB) 
and ongoing capacity building initiatives on agricultural 
biotechnology with David Walker and Richard Graves of the 
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.  Dr. Walker was 
recently appointed as the New Zealand Government's Senior 
APEC official.  His office had shared information 
provided on the agricultural policy dialogue reftel with 
other New Zealand ministries.  New Zealand's 
participation in the Biotech Dialogue is likely to 
continue at a modest level.  This reflects both resource 
constraints as well as policy considerations that take 
into account the political sensitivity of agricultural 
biotechnology within New Zealand. 
 
2. Dr. Walker candidly stated that New Zealand's 
'experts' on agricultural biotechnology have not in the 
past placed a high priority on participating in the 
HLPDAB.  Based on their assessment and faced with 
significant resource constraints, New Zealand's 
participation in the APEC HLPDAB is not likely to change 
significantly in the near-term from its modest level. 
 
3. Agricultural Attach stressed to Dr. Walker the 
importance that the United States places on New Zealand's 
participation in the HLPDAB.  The 3-year draft workplan 
offered New Zealand an excellent opportunity to make sure 
that it included initiatives and activities that 
supported New Zealand's goals and objectives for 
agricultural biotechnology.  Dr. Walker agreed that New 
Zealand shared responsibility for making sure that the 
workplan was relevant for New Zealand.  Dr. Walker was 
reminded during the discussion that he had received a 
copy of the workplan by email from Melissa Clarkson 
representing the HLPDAB Steering Committee and he was 
encouraged to provide comment directly to Clarkson by 
email, taking into account that feedback was sought by 
August 13. 
 
4. Walker commented that New Zealand would like to obtain 
clarification and a better understanding of the 
definition and scope of agricultural biotechnology, as 
envisioned for the HLPDAB versus other APEC bodies (or 
international organizations such as Codex) providing 
technology cooperation, so as to assure that there was no 
duplication of effort.  Also, New Zealand believes that 
initiatives to enhance public understanding of 
agricultural biotechnology should be a priority issue for 
the HLPDAB.  These concerns may be expressed by Walker in 
an email exchange with Clarkson. 
 
5. Agricultural Attach raised the subject of the farmer- 
to-farmer capacity building initiative scheduled for 
Honduras and the Investment Seminar that will be held in 
Malaysia in December 2004.  With respect to the Honduran 
event, Dr. Walker commented that New Zealand placed 
importance on the need for achieving wider public 
understanding and acceptance of agricultural 
biotechnology.  He also questioned why the event was 
being held in Honduras given that it is not an APEC 
member. 
 
6. Agricultural Attach reminded Dr. Walker of the recent 
trade Mission led by the Governor of Iowa to New Zealand 
followed by a reverse mission organized by MFAT to Iowa 
designed in part to promote investment in biotechnology. 
With New Zealand's interest in promoting investment 
opportunities for New Zealand's agricultural biotech 
industry, Agricultural Attach raised the usefulness of 
of 
the investment seminar organized under the HLPDAB to 
promote development of New Zealand's biotech sector. 
 
7. Dr. Walker emphasized that timing of Policy Dialogue 
meetings was an important factor in determining New 
Zealand's participation.  Dr. Walker will attend the 
Senior Officials Meeting (SOM I) that will be held next 
year in Korea.  The 2005 Agricultural Biotechnology 
Policy Dialogue meeting is expected to be scheduled on 
the margins of SOM I.  Richard Graves, MFAT's Senior 
Policy Officer for APEC, pointed out that although Dr. 
Walker will be in Korea, he may be unable to attend the 
policy dialogue if it conflicts with preparatory events 
being held for SOM I.  Coordination of APEC meeting 
schedules is critical to ensure New Zealand's 
participation at HLPDAB meetings. 
 
COMMENT 
8. Attending the Biotech Policy Dialogue does pose 
serious resource issues for New Zealand, both human and 
financial.  However, its participation is largely a 
question of priorities and benefits.  New Zealand will 
continue to find it difficult to take a leadership role 
in promoting the adoption of biotechnology issues within 
APEC while its own domestic policy environment continues 
to impede development of New Zealand's biotech sector. 
That said, David Walker, New Zealand's newly appointed 
Senior APEC Official, is likely to place a higher 
priority and take a more active role in the Agricultural 
Biotechnology Dialogue than his predecessor.  Walker 
attended the last HLPDAB meeting held in Chile while 
still serving as Deputy Head of the New Zealand Embassy 
in Washington. 
SWINDELLS