US embassy cable - 02ROME42

UNCLAS ROME 000042 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE PASS USDA FOR HEGWOOD 
USDA FOR FAS/OA/CHAMBLISS AND SLUTSKY; 
ITP/SHEIKH AND MACKE; FAA/NE/WILSON; 
DOS/EB/TPP/ATT; EUR/ERA; E-ASHUM; EB-GADSDEN 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAGR, ETRD, EU, IT, ICSCA 
SUBJECT: AGRICULTURE MINISTER ORDERS SEED 
CERTIFICATION AGENCY TO QUANTIFY GMO-FREE 
SOURCES FOR SOY AND CORN SEED FOR PLANTING. 
 
 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
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1.  SUMMARY. THE ITALIAN MINISTER OF 
AGRICULTURE ORDERED THE NATIONAL SEED 
CERTIFICATION ENTITY (ENSE) TO PROVIDE BY 
JANUARY 12 ASSESSMENT OF THE AVAILABILITY OF 
GMO-FREE SOY AND CORN SEEDS FOR PLANTING. TO 
CONSIDER AN EXPANSION OF THE POTENTIAL 
SOURCES OF NON-GM SEEDS FOR THE 2002 PLANTING 
SEASON, THE MINISTER CONTEMPLATES RESCINDING 
EXISTING MINIMUM STANDARDS ON SEED 
GERMINATION FOR THESE TWO SEED TYPES. 
MINISTER ALEMANNO WILL DECLARE A TOLERANCE 
FOR ADVENTITIOUS PRESENCE OF GM MATERIAL IN 
SEEDS FOR PLANTING BASED ON THE FINDINGS OF 
THE ENSE STUDY. END SUMMARY. 
 
2. ITALIAN MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE GIOVANNI 
ALEMANNO ISSUED A DECREE DECEMBER 28, 2001 
REQUIRING A SURVEY ON AVAILABILITY OF SOY AND 
CORN SEED WHICH ARE FREE FROM ADVENTITIOUS 
PRESENCE OF GENETICALLY MODIFIED MATERIAL. 
THE SEED CERTIFICATION INSTITUTE WHICH WILL 
CARRY OUT THE SURVEY IS ENTE NAZIONALE 
SEMENTI ELETTE, ENSE, A TECHNICAL OFFICE 
FUNDED BY THE MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND 
DIRECTED BY A BOARD APPOINTED BY THE 
MINISTER. IN THE DEC 28 DECREE ALEMANNO 
PRESUMED A CONSENSUS AMONG ITALIAN PRODUCERS 
TO KEEP THE ITALIAN FOOD CHAIN FREE OF GMOS. 
 
3. THE DECREE STATES THAT IN ORDER TO 
CONSIDER SOURCES OF CORN AND SOYBEAN SEEDS 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
PAGE 03        ROME  00042  031430Z 
FOR PLANTING WHICH ARE ABLE TO COMPLY WITH A 
ZERO TOLERANCE FOR GM MATERIAL, CURRENT 
MINIMUM STANDARDS FOR SEED GERMINATION RATES 
MAY BE SUSPENDED. IN ORDER TO BE MARKETED IN 
ITALY SEED CORN IS CURRENTLY REQUIRED TO HAVE 
A GERMINATION RATE OF AT LEAST 90 PERCENT AND 
SOYBEAN SEED MUST GERMINATE AT 80 PERCENT. 
 
4.  DATA ON SEED SALES FOR 2000 SHOW THAT THE 
UNITED STATES SUPPLIED HALF, BY VALUE, OF 
ITALY'S CORN SEED IMPORTS. THE UNITED STATES 
SUPPLIED ABOUT EIGHTY FOUR PERCENT OF ITALY'S 
IMPORTS OF SOYBEAN SEED FOR PLANTING IN THE 
SAME YEAR. THE VALUE OF UNITED STATES SALES 
OF THE TWO TYPES OF SEED WAS APPROXIMATELY 
DOLS 32 MILLION. 
 
5. COMMENT: THIS DECREE IS NOT ONLY 
UNEXPECTED BUT IT ALSO APPEARS TO CONTRADICT 
WHAT ALEMANNO TOLD SECRETARY VENEMAN IN 
NOVEMBER 2001. DURING SECRETARY VENEMAN'S 
MEETING WITH ALEMANNO HE VOLUNTEERED THAT 
ZERO TOLERANCE FOR GMOS WAS UNATTAINABLE. WE 
HAVE SEEN SIGNALS FROM ALEMANNO THAT HE IS 
BECOMING MORE ANTI-GMO SINCE THAT TIME. THIS 
POST'S SOUNDING OF THE SKELETAL EPIPHANY WEEK 
GOI REVEALS NO INDICATION THAT THE DECREE IS 
ANYTHING BUT AN ALEMANNO MINISTRY OF 
AGRICULTURE INITIATIVE. WE ARE DEVELOPING 
INTERVENTION RECOMMENDATIONS. END COMMENT. 
 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
PAGE 04        ROME  00042  031430Z 
6.  SELECTED TEXT OF ALEMANNO DECREE FOLLOWS: 
- A.  BY JANUARY 12,2002, ENSE WILL CARRY OUT 
A MARKET SURVEY IN ORDER TO DETERMINE THE 
QUANTITIES OF CONVENTIONAL CORN AND SOY SEED 
WITH ZERO TOLERANCE THRESHOLD FOR GMO 
PRESENCE AVAILABLE OR ACQUIRABLE FOR THE 
ITALIAN MARKET FOR THE 2002 PLANTING SEASON, 
AND ALSO WITH REFERENCE TO THE QUANTITIES OF 
SUCH SEEDS MEETING THE PURITY THRESHOLD BUT 
WITH GERMINATION RATE BELOW THE THRESHOLD 
DETERMINED BY NATIONAL NORMS IN FORCE. 
- B.  THE MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURAL POLICY 
WILL OBTAIN, BY THE SAME DATE, THE 
EVALUATIONS OF THE COMPETENT REGIONAL 
COMMISSION FOR AGRICULTURE. 
- C.  A FUTURE DECREE, TO BE ISSUED BY 
JANUARY 16, 2002, WILL DETERMINE THE 
TOLERANCE THRESHOLDS FOR THE PRESENCE OF GMOS 
FOR THE 2002 PLANTING SEASON.   SEMBLER 
 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
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 2002ROME00042 - Classification: UNCLASSIFIED