US embassy cable - 04PRETORIA5223

UNCLAS PRETORIA 005223 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EB/TPP/ABT/BTT/DMALAC, JBOBO 
STATE ALSO FOR AF/S, AF/EPS, OES/STC 
USDA FOR FAS/ICD AND ITP/SIMMONS 
PLS PASS USAID FOR EGAT/AG 
 
E.O. 12948: N/A 
TAGS: EAGR, ETRD, TSPL, SENV, ECON, SF 
SUBJECT: SOUTH AFRICAN GOVERNMENT STANDS UP TO ACTIVISTS ON 
BIOTECH STANCE 
 
1.  Following the recent passage of a World Conservation 
Union resolution recommending a moratorium on the further 
release of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO), South 
African anti-GMO activist groups Biowatch and African Centre 
for Biosafety blasted the Government of South Africa for its 
failure to support the resolution, claiming the government 
was kowtowing to multinational biotechnology corporations. 
 
2. Local media quoted Director General of Environmental 
Affairs and Tourism Dr. Crispian Olver's explanation of the 
government's position: "The government could not support the 
call because it was not properly phrased or thought through. 
We want the IUCN to focus on building up a scientific base. 
Making rash calls like this undermines the IUCN's 
credibility." 
 
3. Comment. The SAG speaks from experience.  It has a 
national biotech strategy and science-based biosafety regime 
in place, and has approved several varieties of genetically 
engineered commodities for commercial planting in South 
Africa.  The government also supports significant programs 
in biotech research, development and commercialization. 
Success of a locally-developed product would go a long way 
towards quelling the anti-GMO lobby's protests, which center 
on the dominance of multinational corporations in plant 
biotechnology.  FRAZER