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Viewing cable 06PARIS7639, GOF EXTENDS BAN ON GM RAPESEEDS

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
06PARIS7639 2006-12-01 15:50 2011-08-24 00:00 UNCLASSIFIED Embassy Paris
null
Lucia A Keegan  12/01/2006 06:00:03 PM  From  DB/Inbox:  Lucia A Keegan

Cable 
Text:                                                                      
                                                                           
      
UNCLAS        PARIS 07639

SIPDIS
cxparis:
    ACTION: AGR
    INFO:   DCM AMB ECON TRDO UNESCO SCI POL ECNO

DISSEMINATION: AGRX
CHARGE: PROG

APPROVED: AGR: MMEADOR
DRAFTED: AGR: MCHENARD
CLEARED: ECON: JHENNESSEY-NILAND SCI:RDRY (INFO)

VZCZCFRI548
RR RUEHC RUEHRC RUCNMEM RUEHMRE RUEHSR RUEHGV
RHEHAAA
DE RUEHFR #7639 3351550
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 011550Z DEC 06
FM AMEMBASSY PARIS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3520
RUEHRC/USDA FAS WASHDC
INFO RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES
RUEHMRE/AMCONSUL MARSEILLE 1462
RUEHSR/AMCONSUL STRASBOURG 0266
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 2546
RHEHAAA/WHITE HOUSE WASHDC
UNCLAS PARIS 007639 
 
SIPDIS 
 
BRUSSELS PASS USEU FOR AGMINCOUNSELOR 
STATE FOR OES; EUR/ERA AND EB(SPIRNAK); 
STATE PASS USTR FOR MURPHY; 
USDA/OS/JOHANNS/TERPSTRA; 
USDA/FAS FOR OA/YOST; 
OCRA/CURTIS 
STA/MACKE/SISSON/SIMMONS/JONES 
FAA/YOUNG; 
EU POSTS PASS TO AGRICULTURE AND ECON 
GENEVA FOR USTR, ALSO AGRICULTURE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAGR ETRD SIPDIS EU FR
SUBJECT: GOF EXTENDS BAN ON GM RAPESEEDS 
 
1.  On November 24, the Government of France extended its ban on two 
biotech-rapeseed products to April 18, 2007, despite the WTO 
decision that Member State bans were not supported by scientific 
evidence and were inconsistent with WTO rules.  These decrees are 
available at: www.legifrance.gouv.fr. 
 
2.  The two rapeseed products, Topas 19/2 and MS1Bn, were originally 
authorized under EU Directive 90/220 and subsequently notified under 
the Novel Food Regulation 1829/2003.  Products under this Regulation 
have a renewal date of April 18, 2007. 
 
3.  (SBU) Comment:  According to Embassy sources, the manufacturer 
of these rapeseed products, Bayer CropScience, has not sold either 
product in the U.S. or Canada since 2001 and has no plans to market 
either of these products in France or in any EU Member State. 
 
4.  (SBU) Bayer had hoped to benefit from having these products 
authorized under the Novel Food Regulation EU-wide in the unlikely 
scenario of unintentional contamination.  As authorized GM products, 
Bayer could avail itself of the 0.9 percent threshold for 
adventitious presence in imports by the EU.  However, the 
continuation of the French ban means that any product found in 
France containing the GM rapeseed products would be an unauthorized 
biotech product. 
 
5.  (SBU) The GOF decision to extend these bans may also be 
politically motivated.  According to sources within the Prime 
Minister's cabinet, the GOF is extremely reluctant to authorize 
biotech rapeseed for cultivation due to gene flow concerns, and is 
justified under the precautionary principle.  The ban's expiration 
date of April 18, 2007, being only four days before the first round 
of the French Presidential election, indicates that the current 
government is very reluctant to take any positive decision on this 
issue.  Several Presidential hopefuls have already adopted 
anti-biotech positions.  End Comment. 
 
Stapleton