US embassy cable - 03ROME3180

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ROME 003180 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
FROM AMBASSADOR FOR SEC OF AGRICULTURE VENEMAN, STATE U/S 
LARSON, AND USTR ZOELLICK 
STATE PASS USTR FOR ZOELLICK 
STATE PASS USDA FOR OSEC VENEMAN, FAS TERPSTRA, BLUM, 
SIMMONS, EJONES 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/11/2013 
TAGS: EAGR, ECON, ETRD, PREL, TBIO, IT, WTO 
SUBJECT: BIOTECH: CORN CRISIS IN PIEMONTE COULD TEST PRIME 
    MINISTER'S RESOLVE 
 
REF: MILAN 452 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: AMBASSADOR MEL SEMBLER FOR REASONS 1.5 (B) AND (D). 
 
1.  (U)  THIS IS AN ACTION MESSAGE. 
 
2. (C) SUMMARY AND ACTION REQUEST.  AS WE'VE NOTED 
PREVIOUSLY, ITALY'S COMPLICATED COALITION ARRANGEMENTS  MEAN 
THAT PM BERLUSCONI IS THE ONLY PERSON WHO CAN CURB 
AGRICULTURE MINISTER ALEMANNO'S DETERMINED EFFORTS TO CREATE 
A BIOTECH-FREE ITALY.  UP TO THIS POINT, THE PRIME MINISTER 
HAS BEEN RHETORICALLY SUPPORTIVE OF BIOTECH BUT HAS DONE 
LITTLE TO REIN IN ALEMANNO, AND WE HAVE LACKED A SPECIFIC 
ACTION OR PROBLEM WE COULD USE TO TEST THE PRIME MINISTER'S 
RESOLVE.  WE NOW HAVE THE TEST CASE.  REGIONAL OFFICIALS' 
RECENT DECISION TO SEIZE AND POSSIBLY DESTROY CORNFIELDS 
(REFTEL) HAVE GIVEN US A DISCRETE INCIDENT WE CAN USE TO TEST 
PRIME MINISTER BERLUSCONI'S AVOWED SUPPORT FOR BIOTECHNOLOGY. 
 COALITION TENSIONS WILL MAKE HIM RELUCTANT TO TACKLE THE 
ISSUE, AS FORCING HIS AGMINISTER'S HAND NOW WILL RISK 
ALIENATING THE ALLEANZA NAZIONALE, THE PM'S MOST STABLE 
COALITION PARTNER.  BUT LEFT UNCHALLENGED, THE FIELD SEIZURES 
(CONDUCTED BECAUSE OF THEIR ALLEGED CONTAMINATION BY BIOTECH 
SEED) ULTIMATELY COULD JEOPARDIZE A $15 MILLION MARKET FOR 
U.S. SEED EXPORTERS.  WE HAD HOPED THAT INTERVENTION BY 
HEALTH MINISTER SIRCHIA WOULD PRECLUDE ADDITIONAL SEIZURES, 
BUT TODAY'S PRESS REPORTS FROM THE REGION INDICATE THAT 
DESTRUCTION OF ADDITIONAL FIELDS MAY BE IMMINENT.  IT WILL 
TAKE FIRM ACTION BY PM BERLUSCONI TO REIN IN HIS AGGRESSIVE 
    AGRICULTURE MINISTER AND RESOLVE THIS MATTER 
DEFINITIVELY--ACTION HE IS LIKELY TO TAKE ONLY IF HE KNOWS IT 
IS IMPORTANT TO THE U.S. PRESIDENT HIMSELF.  THE CORN CRISIS 
GIVES US A CONCRETE POINT OF DEPARTURE FOR A CONVERSATION 
ABOUT BILATERAL BIOTECH ISSUES DURING BERLUSCONI'S VISIT TO 
CRAWFORD -- AND SOMETHING THAT WILL REQUIRE THE PM TO OFFER 
MORE THAN JUST POSITIVE SENTIMENTS. 
 
 
 3. (C) SUMMARY AND ACTION REQUEST CONTINUED:  BERLUSCONI'S 
UPCOMING VISIT TO CRAWFORD GIVES US THE PERFECT VENUE TO 
PRESS OUR CASE.  THE PRIME MINISTER'S TOP ADVISORS ALREADY 
ANTICIPATE BIOTECH'S INCLUSION ON THE AGENDA.  IF THE 
PIEMONTE AUTHORITIES ARE APPLYING A ZERO TOLERANCE FOR THE 
ADVENTITIOUS PRESENCE OF BIOTECH EVENTS AS THE BASIS FOR 
THESE FIELD SEIZURES UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF ALEMANNO, LEAVING 
HIM UNCHALLENGED COULD COST US IN REAL ECONOMIC TERMS. 
MOREOVER, ALEMANNO COULD WELL BE POSITIONING ITALY TO DRAW ON 
THE NEW EU COEXISTENCE PROVISIONS TO EXEMPT ITSELF FROM EU 
CONSENSUS WHEN THE ILLEGAL MORATORIUM FINALLY ENDS.   STRONG 
ACTION NOW COULD SAVE US FROM A MAJOR BILATERAL PROBLEM DOWN 
THE LINE.  THE PRESIDENT SHOULD ASK THE PRIME MINISTER TO 
STOP THIS UNWARRANTED SEIZURE AND DESTRUCTION OF FIELDS, AND 
TO TAKE ACTIVE MEASURES TO END THE EU MORATORIUM. END SUMMARY 
AND ACTION REQUEST. 
 
 
4. (C)  IN A JULY 10 MEETING WITH MINISTER OF HEALTH SIRCHIA, 
AMBASSADOR AND AGMINCOUNS PRESSED SIRCHIA TO OVERTURN 
PIEMONTE REGIONAL AUTHORITIES' RECENT DECISION TO SEIZE, AND 
POSSIBLY DESTROY, AN ADDITIONAL 980 ACRES OF CORNFIELDS 
    BEYOND 25 ACRES ALREADY DESTROYED (SEE REFTEL).  REGIONAL 
AUTHORITIES SEIZED THE FIELDS BECAUSE THEY ALLEGEDLY 
CONTAINED CORN PLANTS ORIGINATING FROM BIOTECH SEED.  WHEN WE 
FIRST RAISED THE MATTER WITH SIRCHIA ON JULY 4, HE OFFERED TO 
PRESS THE RELEVANT PIEMONTE OFFICIALS TO OVERTURN THE 
SEIZURES AND FOREGO ANY ADDITIONAL ONES.  SIRCHIA ALSO SAID 
HE WOULD CONTACT PM BERLUSCONI, ALERT HIM TO THE PROBLEM AND 
ENLIST HIS SUPPORT IN FORCING THE AGRICULTURE MINISTRY TO 
STOP ENCOURAGING THESE TYPES OF REGIONAL 'ENFORCEMENT' 
ACTIONS. 
 
5. (C) IN HIS RESPONSE, SIRCHIA SAID HE HAD DIRECTED REGIONAL 
HEALTH AUTHORITIES IN PIEMONTE TO DESIST FROM DESTROYING THE 
FIELDS SEIZED OR FROM SEIZING ADDITIONAL FIELDS IF TESTING 
REVEALED THE ADVENTITIOUS PRESENCE OF BIOTECH PLANTS.  HE 
ALSO SAID HE WAS CONVOKING THE RELEVANT OFFICIALS TO ROME FOR 
A JULY 24 MOH BIOTECH REVIEW COMMITTEE MEETING TO DETERMINE 
WHAT, IF ANY, ADDITIONAL ACTIONS WOULD BE TAKEN. 
 
6.  (C)  IN CONTRAST TO SIRCHIA'S ENCOURAGING COMMENTS 
YESTERDAY, THREE MAJOR ITALIAN DAILIES REPORTED THIS MORNING 
THAT THE REGIONAL AUTHORITIES (I.E., PIEMONTE GOVERNOR, ENZO 
GHIGO) ARE PREPARED TO DESTROY THE FIELDS IMMEDIATELY. 
CONTACT WITH THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH THIS MORNING REVEALED 
 
ROME 00003180  002 OF 002 
 
LVEMENT OF THE LOCAL 
MAGISTRATE'S OFFICE IN THE ORDER TO SEIZE AND DESTROY THE 
FIELDS. 
 
7. (C) SIRCHIA ALSO PROVIDED THE AMBASSADOR A COPY OF HIS 
JULY 8 LETTER TO BERLUSCONI (TEXT PARA 9), IN WHICH HE WARNED 
BERLUSCONI THAT THE SEIZURES AND OTHER ACTIONS BY AG MINISTER 
ALEMANNO RISKED LEADING ITALY INTO A TRADE DISPUTE WITH THE 
U.S. THAT WOULD SERIOUSLY UNDERMINE ITALIAN COMMERCIAL 
INTERESTS.  SIRCHIA TOLD THE AMBASSADOR THAT BERLUSCONI'S 
PERSONAL INTERVENTION WOULD BE NECESSARY TO RESTRAIN ALEMANNO 
FROM IMPLEMENTING THE EXTREME (EVEN BY EU STANDARDS) 
ANTI-BIOTECH VISION THE AGMINISTER HAS ADVOCATED CONSISTENTLY 
WITH GROWING POLITICAL SKILL. 
 
8. (C) AMBASSADOR REMINDED SIRCHIA ON JULY 9 THAT ITALY 
IMPORTS 4 MILLION TONS OF SOYBEANS AND SOYBEAN MEAL, THE BULK 
OF WHICH IS GENETICALLY-MODIFIED.  ALEMANNO'S RHETORIC ABOUT 
KEEPING ITALY FREE FROM GMO PRODUCTS WAS NOT ONLY FACTUALLY 
INCORRECT, BUT BLATANTLY PROTECTIONIST AND DECEIVES ITALIAN 
CONSUMERS.  THE AMBASSADOR NOTED THAT THERE WAS STRONG 
CONGRESSIONAL INTEREST IN BIOTECH ISSUES; WE COULD NOT RULE 
OUT CONGRESS MOVING AHEAD TO IMPOSE COUNTER-MEASURES IF THE 
CURRENT TREATMENT OF U.S. PRODUCTS CONTINUED. 
 
9. (C) BEGIN INFORMAL EMBASSY TRANSLATION OF SIRCHIA LETTER 
TO BERLUSCONI: 

ROME, JULY 8, 2003 
 
DEAR SILVIO, 
 
I AM WRITING YOU TO DRAW YOUR ATTENTION TO THE MATTER 
RELATING TO GENETICALLY MODIFIED ORGANISMS, WITH SPECIAL 
REFERENCE TO THE SEEDS SECTOR. 
 
PRESENTLY, NO LAW HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED TO SET A MAXIMUM 
TOLERANCE LEVEL FOR THE POSSIBLE ADVENTITIOUS PRESENCE OF 
GMOS IN SEEDS USED FOR CORN AND SOYBEAN CROPS. 
 
THE ADVENTITIOUS PRESENCE OF GMOS IS TO BE ASCRIBED TO THE 
ACCIDENTAL COMBINATION OF CROPS CONTAINING GENETICALLY 
MODIFIED ORGANISMS LEGALLY AUTHORIZED IN THE EUROPE AND THE 
UNITED STATES. 
 
IN SPITE OF THE ABOVE, SOME REGIONS AND THE MINISTRY OF 
AGRICULTURE ITSELF, RESPONSIBLE FOR THE SEEDS SECTOR, SHOW NO 
TOLERANCE FOR BIOTECHNOLOGIES AND GMOS WITH CONSEQUENT 
NEGATIVE IMPACT ON THE AGRO-FOOD SECTOR. 
 
PENDING THE EUROPEAN REGULATIONS ON LABELING AND 
TRACEABILITY, AN ATTITUDE OF THIS KIND IS ONLY CREATING 
PROBLEMS IN THE RELATIONSHIP WITH THE UNITED STATES OF 
AMERICA.  TOMORROW, THE AMBASSADOR OF THE UNITED STATES OF 
AMERICA, MEL SEMBLER, AND THE MINISTER-COUNSELOR FOR 
AGRICULTURAL AFFAIRS, LISA HARDY-BASS, WILL BE MEETING WITH 
ME TO DELIVER A FORMAL PROTEST ON BEHALF OF THE U.S. 
GOVERNMENT, AS WAS ANTICIPATED BY SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND 
    HUMAN SERVICES TOMMY THOMPSON LAST JUNE IN WASHINGTON.  THEIR 
REQUEST IS FOR YOUR ACTION, NOT SO MUCH MINE, TO AVOID 
UNPLEASANT CONSEQUENCES THAT COULD HIGHLY COMPROMISE OUR 
TRADE RELATIONS WITH THE UNITED STATES, INCLUDING RETALIATION 
FOR SOME PRODUCTS. 
 
I AM WELL AWARE OF HOW DIFFICULT THIS PROBLEM IS, BUT I AM 
CONVINCED THAT YOUR INTERVENTION MAY CONTRIBUTE TO THE 
SOLUTION OF THIS PROBLEM. 
 
(COMPLIMENTARY CLOSING) 
 
 
SEMBLER 
 
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 2003ROME03180 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL