US embassy cable - 02ROME134

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ROME 000134 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE PASS USDA FOR HEGWOOD 
USDA FOR FAS/OA/CHAMBLISS AND SLUTSKY; 
COTS/BLUM;ITP/SHEIKH AND MACKE; 
FAA/NE/WILSON; 
DOS/EB/TPP/ATT; EUR/ERA; E-ASHUB; EB-GADSDEN 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAGR, ETRD, EU, ETRD, EU, IT, ICSCA, ITEAGR, ICSCA 
SUBJECT: REACTION TO DECEMBER 28 DECREE TO 
SURVEY GMO-FREE SUPPLIES OF SOY AND CORN SEED 
FOR PLANTING; PM OFFICE MADE AWARE OF U.S. 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
 
PAGE 02        ROME  00134  01 OF 02  100812Z 
CONCERNS. 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
REFS. ROME 42 AND ROME 68 
 
1.  SUMMARY.  CONFAGRICOLTURA, ONE OF ITALY'S 
LEADING FARMER ORGANIZATIONS, TOLD AG 
MINCOUNSELOR THAT IT HAS A COMMITMENT FROM 
AGMINISTER ALEMANNO TO INTRODUCE A TOLERANCE 
OF 0.3-0.5 PERCENT FOR ADVENTITIOUS PRESENCE 
IN CORN AND SOYBEAN SEEDS FOR PLANTING SHOULD 
THE ITALIAN SEED CERTIFICATION ASSOCIATION 
(ENSE) CONCLUDE THERE ARE INADEQUATE SUPPLIES 
OF GM-FREE CONVENTIONAL CORN AND SOYBEAN 
SEEDS AVAILABLE TO MEET ITALIAN NEEDS. 
CONFAGRICOLTURA CAUTIONED THAT RIVAL FARM 
ORGANIZATION, COLDIRETTI, IS STRONGLY AGAINST 
ANY TOLERANCE LEVEL FOR ADVENTITIOUS PRESENCE 
AND WAS SEEKING TO CONVINCE ALEMANNO THAT 
ADEQUATE SUPPLIES OF GMO-FREE CONVENTIONAL 
SEEDS EXIST.  CONFAGRICOLTURA BELIEVES THE 
PROSPECTS FOR ALEMANNO IMPLEMENTING A 
TOLERANCE OF 0.3-0.5 PERCENT ARE PRETTY GOOD, 
PROVIDED THAT THE MAJOR SEED SUPPLING 
COMPANIES (I.E. PIONEER, MONSANTO, AND 
SYNGENTA) REMAIN UNIFIED AND REAFFIRM THAT 
THEY CANNOT GUARANTEE ZERO ADVENTITIOUS 
PRESENCE IN THEIR CONVENTIONAL SEEDS. 
CONFAGRICOLTURA ALSO PUBLISHED A PRESS 
RELEASE TODAY STATING ITS OPPOSITION TO ANY 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
PAGE 03        ROME  00134  01 OF 02  100812Z 
LOWERING SEED QUALITY STANDARDS.  IN A 
SEPARATE MEETING, CDA POPE SHARED U.S. 
CONCERNS WITH PM DIPLOMATIC ADVISOR 
CASTELLENETTA.  END SUMMARY. 
 
MEETING WITH CONFAGRICOLTURA 
 
2. AGMIN COUNSELOR, AG ATTACHE MURPHY, AND 
SENIOR AGRICULTURAL SPECIALIST MET JAN.9 WITH 
THE PRESIDENT AND SENIOR LEADERS OF 
CONFAGRICOLTURA, ONE OF THE THREE MAJOR 
ITALIAN FARMERS ORGANIZATIONS. AGMIN 
COUNSELOR LEARNED THAT ITALIAN MINISTER OF 
AGRICULTURE GIANNI ALEMANNO CONSULTED WITH 
ALL THREE ORGANIZATIONS, COFAGRICOLTURA, 
COLDIRETTI, AND CONFEDERAZIONE ITALIANA 
AGRICOLTORI, BEFORE ISSUING THE DECEMBER 28, 
2001 DECREE (SEE REFTELS). ACCORDING TO 
CONFAGRICOLTURA, ALEMANNO WAS PREPARED AT 
THAT TIME TO IMPLEMENT A TOLERANCE FOR 
ADVENTITIOUS PRESENCE OF 0.3-0.5 PERCENT FOR 
CORN AND SOYBEAN SEEDS.  HOWEVER, COLDIRETTI, 
THE LARGEST OF ITALY'S THREE FARMER 
ORGANIZATIONS, EXPRESSED VEHEMENT OPPOSITION, 
FORCING ALEMANNO TO TAKE A MORE CIRCUITOUS 
TACK IN ORDER TO GARNER SUFFICIENT POLITICAL 
COVER.  ALEMANNO THUS AGREED WITH THE THREE 
FARM LEADERS FOR THE MINAG'S SEED AGENCY, 
ENSE, TO DETERMINE WHETHER THERE ARE 
SUFFICIENT SUPPLIES OF CONVENTIONAL SEEDS 
AVAILABLE WITH ZERO ADVENTITIOUS PRESENCE. 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
PAGE 04        ROME  00134  01 OF 02  100812Z 
 
3. THE DEC. 28 DECREE SURPRISED 
CONFAGRICOLTURA IN THAT THEIR DISCUSSION WITH 
ALEMANNO DID NOT INCLUDE THE POSSIBILITY OF 
LOWER STANDARDS FOR GERMINATION RATES.  THE 
PUBLISHED VERSION ADDS THE CLAUSE RELAXING 
STANDARDS, A LIKELY CONCESSION TO COLDIRETTI 
AND OTHERS, BUT CONFAGRICOLTURA DISCOUNTS 
THIS AS A LIKELY SCENARIO. 
 
4. CONFAGRICOLTURA WAS RELATIVELY CONFIDENT 
THAT ALEMANNO WOULD IMPLEMENT A TOLERANCE FOR 
ADVENTITIOUS PRESENCE WITH ONE CAVEAT-- THE 
MAJOR SEED SUPPLIERS MUST REMAIN UNITED AND 
REAFFIRM THEY CANNOT GUARANTEE ZERO PRESENCE 
FOR GMOS IN THEIR CONVENTIONAL SEEDS.  SHOULD 
ENSE CONCLUDE THAT SUFFICIENT SUPPLIES OF 
GMO-FREE CONVENTIONAL SEED EXIST, COLDIRETTI 
IS LIKELY TO WIN THE DAY.  CONFAGRICOLTURA 
SOUGHT ASSURANCES THAT PIONEER AND THE OTHER 
SUPPLIERS WOULD MAKE CLEAR THEIR INABILITY TO 
GUARANTEE ZERO ADVENTITIOUS PRESENCE.  (FYI, 
EMBASSY HAS SHARED CONFAGRICOLTURA'S CONCERNS 
AND RECOMMENDATION WITH PIONEER AND OTHER 
SUPPLIERS.) CONFAGRICOLTURA ACKNOWLEDGED THAT 
 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
                           UNCLASSIFIED     PTQ0677 
 
PAGE 01        ROME  00134  02 OF 02  100812Z 
ACTION EUR-00 
 
INFO  LOG-00   AID-00   CEA-01   CIAE-00  COME-00  CTME-00  DODE-00 
      ITCE-00  SRPP-00  EB-00    EXME-00  E-00     UTED-00  VC-00 
      FRB-00   H-01     TEDE-00  INR-00   ITC-01   L-00     AC-01 
      NSAE-00  NSCE-00  OES-01   OMB-01   OPIC-01  PC-01    PM-00 
      ACE-00   SP-00    SSO-00   SS-00    STR-00   TEST-00  TRSE-00 
      USIE-00  SNIS-00  NISC-00  PMB-00   DRL-02   G-00     SAS-00 
        /010W 
                  ------------------55AE42  100812Z /38 
R 100805Z JAN 02 
FM AMEMBASSY ROME 
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 1583 
USDA FAS WASHDC 1960 
INFO EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE 
 
UNCLAS SECTION 02 OF 02 ROME 000134 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE PASS USDA FOR HEGWOOD 
USDA FOR FAS/OA/CHAMBLISS AND SLUTSKY; 
COTS/BLUM;ITP/SHEIKH AND MACKE; 
FAA/NE/WILSON; 
DOS/EB/TPP/ATT; EUR/ERA; E-ASHUB; EB-GADSDEN 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAGR, ETRD, ICSCA, EU, IT 
SUBJECT: REACTION TO DECEMBER 28 DECREE TO 
SURVEY GMO-FREE SUPPLIES OF SOY AND CORN SEED 
FOR PLANTING; PM OFFICE MADE AWARE OF U.S. 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
PAGE 02        ROME  00134  02 OF 02  100812Z 
CONCERNS. 
 
SMALL PRODUCERS COULD COME UP WITH SMALL 
SUPPLIES OF NON-GMO SEEDS, BUT THAT NONE OF 
THE MAJOR SEED COMPANIES CAN DO SO IN 
QUANTITIES WHICH ARE SUFFICIENT FOR PLANTING 
ITALY'S CUSTOMARY 1.3 MILLION HECTARES OF 
CORN. 
 
5. CONFAGRICOLTURA ALSO INDICATED THAT IF 
ALEMANNO IMPLEMENTS A TOLERANCE OF 
ADVENTITIOUS PRESENCE IT WOULD LIKELY ENTAIL 
A 0.3 PERCENT TOLERANCE FOR CORN SEED AND A 
0.5 PERCENT TOLERANCE FOR SOYBEAN SEED. 
CONFAGRICOLTURA UNDERSTANDS THAT THERE WOULD 
BE NO MENTION OF SPECIFIC EVENTS (APPROVED 
VS. UNAPPROVED).  CORN SEED SUPPLIES ARE OF 
PARTICULAR CONCERN TO CONFAGRICOLTURA. 
SOYBEAN SEEDS ARE OF LESSER CONCERN GIVEN 
SOYBEAN PLANTINGS IN ITALY NEXT SEASON ARE 
EXPECTED TO DECLINE TO LESS THAN 200,000 
HECTARES BECAUSE OF LOWER PRICES. 
 
CDA MEETING WITH PM DIPLOMATIC ADVISOR 
CASTELLENETTA 
 
6. THE CHARGE, IN A CALL ON PM DIPLOMATIC 
ADVISOR CASTELLENETTA, RAISED THE TALKING 
POINTS IN REFTEL (ROME 68).  HE  STRESSED AS 
WELL THAT WE ARE APPRECIATIVE OF THE INITIAL 
STEPS TAKEN BY THE PM'S OFFICE TO REOPEN 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
PAGE 03        ROME  00134  02 OF 02  100812Z 
DISCUSSION ON AGRICULTURAL BIOTECHNOLOGIES 
AND THE PM'S DIRECTION THAT PROFESSOR 
LEONARDO SANTI SHOULD EXPLORE WITH US AN 
AGREEMENT ON BIOTECH COOPERATION SIMILAR TO 
THE ONE WE CONCLUDED LAST SUMMER ON CLIMATE 
CHANGE RESEARCH.  THE CHARGE ALSO MENTIONED 
THAT WE HAD RECEIVED THE ENVIRONMENT 
MINISTRY'S REQUEST TO CONSIDER AN INFORMAL 
BILATERAL DISCUSSION OF GMOS IN NEW YORK AT 
THE END OF JANUARY. 
 
7.  CASTELLANETA, WHO WAS INSTRUMENTAL IN 
ACHIEVING THE CLIMATE CHANGE RESEARCH 
ACCORD, KNEW ABOUT AND WAS POSITIVE TOWARD 
PROF. SANTI'S APPROACH TO THE EMBASSY.  HE 
DID NOT SEEM TO BE AWARE OF THE ENVIRONMENT 
MINISTRY'S PROPOSAL BUT LIKED IT. 
 
8.  CHARGE CONTINUED THAT, DESPITE THESE 
POSITIVE SIGNS, THE USG IS PUZZLED AT AND 
CONCERNED ABOUT AG MINISTER ALEMANNO'S 
DECEMBER 28 DIRECTIVE.  HANDING CASTELLANETA 
A COPY, THE CHARGE NOTED THAT OUR READING OF 
THE DECREE INDICATES THAT IT WOULD ERECT NEW 
BARRIERS TO GMOS.  THIS WOULD NOT BE IN 
KEEPING WITH DISCUSSIONS BETWEEN PRESIDENT 
BUSH AND PM BERLUSCONI AND OTHER EXCHANGES WE 
HAVE HAD WITH MUCH OF THE GOI.  CASTELLANETA 
SUGGESTED THAT PERHAPS ALEMANNO WAS TRYING TO 
DEMONSTRATE THAT IT IS NOT POSSIBLE TO GET 
DOWN TO ZERO PERCENT GMO CONTENT IN SEEDS. 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
PAGE 04        ROME  00134  02 OF 02  100812Z 
CHARGE REPLIED THAT HE HOPED THAT WAS THE 
INTENT, BUT THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE DECREE'S 
APPEARANCE AND OUR READING OF IT CONCERN US. 
CASTELLANETA ADMITTED THAT HE WAS NOT SURE 
BUT PROMISED TO LOOK INTO IT.  (NOTE:  LATER, 
A CASTELLANETA AIDE CALLED CHARGE TO SAY THAT 
HE ALREADY HAD BEEN IN TOUCH WITH ALEMANNO'S 
OFFICE TO GET DETAILS.  END NOTE.) 
POPE 
 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
> 
 2002ROME00134 - Classification: UNCLASSIFIED