US embassy cable - 02ROME5897

UNCLAS ROME 005897 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR IIP/G/EUR CSIEMONH; IIP/G RCROSS-NAJAFI; IIP/T/ES 
BDURANT; EUR/PD/TPICKREL 
NAPLES AND MILAN FOR PAO 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OIIP PRC 
SUBJECT:   PROGRAM EVALUATION FOR U.S. SPEAKERS MAARTEN 
CHRISPEELS AND RAY BRESSEN, TRACKER NUMBERS 17185 AND 17186. 
 
1. DESCRIPTION OF ACTIVITY:  U.S. SPEAKERS MAARTEN 
CHRISPEELS (UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO) AND RAY 
BRESSAN (PURDUE UNIVERSITY) ADDRESSED AUDIENCES IN NAPLES, 
ROME, AND MILAN OCTOBER 21-24 ON THE BENEFITS OF 
BIOTECHNOLOGY TO AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION IN THE 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
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MEDITERRANEAN REGION. THE SPEAKERS CARRIED THEIR MESSAGE TO 
A BROAD SEGMENT OF THE ITALIAN PUBLIC, FROM THE ITALIAN 
FARMER'S ASSOCIATION TO UNIVERSITY RESEARCHERS, CONSUMER 
ASSOCIATIONS, ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS (INCLUDING GREENPEACE), 
AND THE PRESS. THE GOAL OF THE PROGRAM WAS TO PROMOTE USG 
BIOTECHNOLOGY POLICY. THE PROGRAM WAS ORGANIZED AND FUNDED 
BY PA ROME IN COLLABORATION WITH PA NAPLES, PA MILAN, THE 
EMBASSY SCIENCE OFFICE, AND THE FOREIGN AGRICULTURAL 
SERVICE. 
 
2.   DATES:  OCTOBER 21-24, 2002; 1ST QUARTER; FY 2003. 
 
3. JUSTIFICATION/OBJECTIVE: THE PURPOSE OF THIS PROGRAM WAS 
TO PROMOTE USG BIOTECHNOLOGY POLICY BY ENGAGING IN DIALOGUE 
WITH A BROAD RANGE OF ITALIANS FROM THE SCIENTIFIC, 
AGRICULTURAL, CONSUMER, AND ENVIRONMENTAL SECTORS AND TO 
REINFORCE THE MESSAGE THAT BIOTECH FOOD PRODUCTS ARE SAFE 
FOR THE CONSUMER AND FRIENDLY TO THE ENVIRONMENT. 
 
4. MPP UMBRELLA THEMES: MPP GOALS #4 ("PROMOTE MUTUAL 
UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN ITALY AND THE U.S. THROUGH A BROAD 
RANGE OF PERSONAL CONTACTS AND EXCHANGES") AND #6 ("PROMOTE 
IMPROVED ACCESS IN ITALY FOR U.S. GOODS AND SERVICES AND AN 
INCREASE IN EXPORTS TO ITALY OF U.S. PRODUCTS"). 
 
5. AUDIENCE REACHED: IN NAPLES THE PROGRAM WAS CO-SPONSORED 
BY THE ITALIAN FARMERS' ASSOCIATION AND REACHED ABOUT 100 
ITALIAN FARMERS, RESEARCHERS, UNIVERSITY PROFESSORS, 
ENVIRONMENTALISTS, AND BUSINESSPERSONS INVOLVED IN THE FOOD 
PROCESSING INDUSTRY. IN ROME THE SPEAKERS HELD A ROUND-TABLE 
DISCUSSION WITH REPRESENTATIVES FROM CONSUMER ORGANIZATIONS, 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
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LABOR UNIONS, AND ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS, AND HELD MEETINGS 
WITH OFFICIALS OF THE U.N. FOOD AND AGRICULTURAL 
ORGANIZATION. IN MILAN, WHERE DR. CHRISPEELS CONTINUED THE 
PROGRAM ALONE, THE SEMINAR ORGANIZED BY PA MILAN AND THE 
DEPARTMENT OF GENETICS AND MICROBIOLOGY OF THE STATE 
UNIVERSITY OF MILAN REACHED AN AUDIENCE OF OVER 100 
UNIVERSITY PROFESSORS, RESEARCHERS, AND STUDENTS, AND A 
LUNCH HOSTED BY THE ITALIAN SOCIETY OF AGRICULTURAL GENETICS 
WAS ATTENDED BY LEADING ITALIAN BIOTECH EXPERTS. 
 
6. RESULT/IMPACT:  IN NAPLES THE AUDIENCE WAS RESPONSIVE AND 
GENERALLY OPEN-MINDED ABOUT THE POTENTIAL OF BIOTECHNOLOGY 
IN THE ITALIAN CONTEXT. THE PROGRAM CONCLUDED WITH A LIVELY 
DISCUSSION, DURING WHICH VIRTUALLY ALL PARTICIPANTS AGREED 
THAT THE ITALIAN GOVERNMENT SHOULD PUSH AHEAD WITH INCREASED 
RESEARCH IN THE BIOTECH FIELD. THE FARMERS' ASSOCIATION 
EXPRESSED STRONG INTEREST IN ORGANIZING A SIMILAR PROGRAM IN 
SOUTHERN ITALY IN 2003.  IN ROME THE SPEAKERS MANAGED TO 
CORRECT FALSE IMPRESSIONS ABOUT BIOTECHNOLOGY HELD BY MANY 
CONSUMERS IN ITALY. ONE SIMPLE BUT IMPORTANT POINT THEY MADE 
WAS THAT BIOTECH PRODUCTS ARE CHECKED BY PUBLIC AUTHORITIES 
IN THE U.S. (I.E. THE FDA) AND THOROUGHLY TESTED BEFORE 
BEING PUT ON THE MARKET. THIS CAME AS A SURPRISE TO SOME 
PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS, WHO WERE CONVINCED THAT DECISIONS 
ABOUT COMMERCIALIZATION WERE BASED SOLELY ON RESEARCH 
CONDUCTED BY THE PRODUCERS THEMSELVES. IN MILAN THE PROGRAM 
HIGHLIGHTED THE FACT THAT IN NORTHERN ITALY THE USG CAN NOW 
COUNT ON A SOLID NETWORK OF EXPERTS FULLY SUPPORTIVE OF USG 
BIOTECH POLICY. ITALIAN PARTICIPANTS JOINED IN AN INTENSE 
AND FRUITFUL DISCUSSION WITH PA OFFICERS ON HOW TO COUNTER 
DISINFORMATION ON BIOTECH PRODUCTS AND OFFERED TO ASSIST IN 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
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THE FUTURE IN COMMUNICATING INFORMATION ABOUT THE ADVANTAGE 
OF BIOTECH PRODUCTS WITH THE PRESS. 
 
7. NON-USG SOURCES OF IN-COUNTRY FUNDING/IN-KIND SUPPORT: CO- 
SPONSORING INSTITUTIONS PROVIDED PROGRAM VENUES AND HOSTED A 
LUNCH. 
 
8.  QUALITY OF U.S. SPEAKERS OFFICE (IIP) SUPPORT: 
EXCELLENT. POST THANKS PROGRAM OFFICER BARBARA DURANT FOR 
HER EXCELLENT SUPPORT, WHICH MADE THIS PROGRAM POSSIBLE. 
SEMBLER. 
 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
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 2002ROME05897 - Classification: UNCLASSIFIED