US embassy cable - 05ROME2565

UNCLAS  ROME 002565 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
STATE FOR EBA/JBOBO; 
STATE PLEASE PASS TO EPA/MFLOWE; 
STATE PLEASE PASS TO DHHS/FDA FOR CCARNEVALE, SSUNDLOF 
USDA FOR FAS/ITP RMACKE, ATALLEY; FAS/ICD/DHUGHES; 
FSIS/MPIERSON, KHULEBAK, ESCARBROUGH; AMS FOR DSPOMER 
DOC FOR RCHRISS 
 
FROM U.S. MISSION TO THE U.N. AGENCIES IN ROME 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: AORC, EAGR, ETRD, FAO, WHO 
SUBJECT: 28-th Session of the FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius 
Commission, 4-9 July 2005 in Rome, Italy 
 
 
Summary 
------- 
 
1.   The 28-th Session of the Codex Alimentarius 
Commission (CAC) was held 4-9 July 2005, 
in Rome, Italy. The Session was well attended with 513 
representatives from 122 member countries, and 40 
international intergovernmental and non-governmental 
organizations. 
 
2.   Members of the United States delegation were 
generally pleased with the overall outcome of the 28-th 
Session.  The decision of the CAC on a few key issues 
was the best achievable result given the complex and 
difficult nature of many of the issues coming before the 
Commission and the wide diversity of views held by 
member countries.  Of the original 11 issues placed on 
the "Top 10" list, the outcome on 10 items was 
consistent with the U.S. position.  End Summary. 
 
3.   The following are key outcomes from the 28th 
Session of the CAC: 
 
Election of Officers 
-------------------- 
 
4.   Up for election were the Codex Chairperson and all 
three Vice-Chairpersons. The Commission unanimously 
elected Dr. Claude Mosha of Tanzania as Chairperson. 
Dr. Karen Hulebak, Chief Scientist for the USDA Food 
Safety and Inspection Service and Chairperson of the 
Codex Committee on Food Hygiene was elected as a Vice- 
Chairperson of the CAC.  Also elected as Vice- 
Chairpersons were Mr. Wim Van Eck of the Netherlands and 
Ms. Noriani Othman of Malaysia. 
 
Adoption of Standards 
--------------------- 
 
5.   The Commission adopted more than twenty-five (25) 
new standards relating to food additives, pesticide 
residues, veterinary drug residues, food hygiene, 
methods of analysis and sampling, food import and export 
inspection and certification and new commodity 
standards.  Many of these (e.g., pesticide residues, 
food additives, veterinary drugs) include multiple 
maximum residue limits or maximum permitted usage 
levels.  The CAC also adopted more than 20 standards at 
the initial review stage (Step 5 of the 8 Step Codex 
standards adoption process).  The Commission approved 
seventeen (17) new work items and agreed to withdraw 15 
old standards now considered outdated because of the 
newly approved standards.  The CAC discontinued work on 
4 standards.  Details on certain key standards are given 
below. 
 
Rules-Based Decision Making/Parmesan 
------------------------------------ 
6.   Outreach on this issue by the participants in the 
July 2 workshop generated extraordinary support for the 
U.S. position among developing countries, but the EU 
Commission dug in its heels to block the consensus 
forming around the proposal to begin work on a generic 
standard for parmesan.  EU opposition was driven by its 
concerns related to intellectual property issues 
surrounding use of geographic indications in the EU. 
Energetic debate led the chair to suggest returning the 
proposal to the Committee on Milk and Milk Products 
without decision, but the delegate from Singapore called 
for a vote.  He agreed to delay the vote until 
interested parties had a chance to seek compromise 
language.  After two lengthy sessions it was clear that 
the EU was not prepared to be flexible on the key issue. 
Singapore then agreed to withdraw its call for a vote 
only on the condition that the issue be tabled; there 
were no objections.  Any member can ask to place this 
item on the agenda for a future CAC meeting, but 
presumably only after finding a way around the impasse 
prior to the meeting. 
 
Changes to Codex Rules and Procedures 
------------------------------------- 
 
7.   The Commission agreed to enlarge the Codex 
 
 
Executive Committee to include Regional Representatives 
as full members of the Committee.  Additionally, the 
mandate of the Executive Committee was expanded to 
include, among other new duties, the standards 
management function for Codex. Additionally the 
Commission: amended the Rules of Procedure to clarify 
the process for the selection of observers; removed 
procedures for the acceptance of Codex standards by 
countries recognizing that the acceptance procedure has 
been replaced by the WTO notification process; adopted 
revised principles concerning the participation of 
international non-governmental organizations; and 
adopted criteria for the approval of new work and 
criteria for the operation of electronic and physical 
working groups. 
 
Review of Committee Structures and Mandates 
------------------------------------------- 
 
8.   The Commission reviewed 20 recommendations 
resulting from a review of the structure and mandates of 
Codex committees and task forces.  The CAC endorsed 
recommendations relating to work prioritization, 
increasing work to be done by correspondence, time 
limits for work and making maximum use of working 
groups.  The Commission also recommended that the Codex 
Committee on Food Additives and Contaminants be split 
into two separate committees (one dealing solely with 
additives, the other with contaminants) and that the 
Codex General Standard for Food Additives (GSFA) should 
be the single authoritative reference point for food 
additives.  The CAC agreed with the recommendations for 
improved self-management of committees and a regular 
informal meeting of the Chairs of Codex committees and 
Task Forces.  The CAC did not agree to the establishment 
of a new commodities standards management committee or 
removing the capability of Codex Regional Committees to 
draft regional standards.  The Commission did not take a 
position on reviewing its remit with respect to the 
implications of the WTO SPS and TBT Agreements. 
Additionally, the Commission agreed that further study 
was needed with respect to the status of Codex commodity 
committees, the role of nutrition in Codex, and the need 
to clearly establish demarcation lines between the work 
of Codex and the work of other international standards 
setting bodies. 
 
Antimicrobial Resistance 
------------------------ 
 
9.   The CAC agreed in principle to establishing a Codex 
Task Force to address the issue of antimicrobial 
resistance and accepted the invitation of the Republic 
of Korea to host the Task Force should it be 
established.  The CAC agreed to issue a Codex Circular 
Letter to request input from countries on a draft paper 
covering the potential purpose, scope and specific 
activities of the Task Force.  The CAC is expected to 
make a final decision on the establishment of a Task 
Force on antimicrobial resistance at its 2006 Session. 
 
Animal Feeding 
-------------- 
 
10.   The Commission did not agree to re-establish the 
Task Force on Animal Feeding but agreed to further 
discuss the issue and possible work items, deferring any 
decision on the subject to the next (2006) session of 
the Task Force. 
 
Other Key Standards 
------------------- 
 
11.   On other key standards the Commission: 
  - Adopted the Guidelines for Vitamin and Minerals. 
  - Adopted the proposed maximum level of cadmium in 
    rice at 0.4 parts per million (ppm), agreeing with 
    the findings of the FAO/WHO Joint Expert Committee 
    on Food Additives and Contaminants (JECFA). 
  - Adopted the Code of Practice for the Prevention and 
    Reduction of Aflatoxin Contamination in Tree Nuts. 
  - Adopted the Codex General Standard for Fruit Juices 
    and Nectars. 
  - Returned the Amendments on Quantitative Ingredient 
 
 
    Declaration (QUID) to the Codex General Standard on 
    the Labeling of Pre-packaged Foods to Step 3, 
    agreeing that there remained too many provisions on 
    which consensus had not been reached. 
 
U.S. Codex Workshop 
------------------- 
 
12.   On July 2, the United States hosted a workshop to 
discuss major issues of concern.  Brazil, Argentina, 
Chile, Costa Rica, Mexico, Antigua and Barbuda, 
Botswana, Uganda, Egypt, Ghana, El Salvador, Uruguay, 
Armenia, Romania, Japan, Thailand, Canada, Australia and 
New Zealand also participated.  In particular, the U.S. 
and Chilean presentations on rule-based decision making 
within CODEX generated a great deal of discussion.  The 
focus was on instances in which interested parties had 
blocked decisions within CAC despite overwhelming 
evidence that existing CODEX criteria for action had 
been met.  Case studies were presented on parmesan 
cheese and sardines; cadmium maximum residue levels were 
also raised as an example.  At the suggestion of some of 
the developing countries, the workshop concluded by 
drafting talking points to be used with other interested 
parties.  This outreach was extremely successful, and 
led to a very active discussion on parmesan cheese in 
the CAC meetings two days later.  Other significant 
issues discussed at the workshop were the proposed 
changes to CODEX committee structure and mandates, and 
an exchange of ideas on work for the biotech task force. 
Cleverley 
 
 
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 2005ROME02565 - Classification: UNCLASSIFIED