Cablegate: Eu Regulatory Committee: Austria to Vote Against Biotech

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RR RUEHAG RUEHDF RUEHIK RUEHLZ RUEHROV
DE RUEHVI #2595 2831455
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 101455Z OCT 07
FM AMEMBASSY VIENNA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8758
INFO RUEHRC/USDA FAS WASHDC 1224
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RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 1384

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DEPARTMENT FOR EBB/TPP/ABT AND EUR/AGS
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E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ETRD TBIO ECON EAGR AU
SUBJECT: EU REGULATORY COMMITTEE: AUSTRIA TO VOTE AGAINST BIOTECH
CORN AND POTATO VARIETIES

REF: STATE 140452

1. (U) On October 5, post forwarded reftel talking points to the
relevant offices in the Ministries of Health (MoH), Agriculture and
Environment, and Economics. We followed up on October 9 with Michel
Haas, Head of the MoH's Department of Biotechnology. The MoH has
the lead on this issue in Austria.

2. (SBU) Haas told us that Austria will vote against the approval of
the corn and potato varieties. The GoA maintains that there is not
sufficient evidence to confirm the safety of these products. Haas
said the GoA believes that current methods to analyze biotech
varieties, particularly to measure the quantity of biotech events,
are inadequate. As a consequence, Austria will continue to vote
against biotech varieties, even if EFSA has determined they are
safe.

MCCAW#

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