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Reference ID	Created	Released	Classification	Origin
02ROME5917	2002-12-10 15:13	2011-08-30 01:44	UNCLASSIFIED	Embassy Rome

This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ROME 005917 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE PASS USDA FOR FAS/CMP/DLP/RWENTZEL 
CMP/GFD/RIEMENSCHNEIDER; CMP/COT/LBLUM 
 
ITP/EAMED/MACKE/YOUNG 
FSIS/SSTRATMOEN 
OFSTS/RICHEY/APHIS/ATORRES 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
PAGE 02        ROME  05917  01 OF 02  101652Z 
STATE PASS USTR 
BRUSSELS ALSO FOR USEU 
GENEVA FOR USTR, ALSO AGRICULTURE 
MILAN FOR PRINCIPAL OFFICER 
FLORENCE FOR PRINCIPAL OFFICER 
NAPLES FOR PRINCIPAL OFFICER 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAGR ETRD EU ETRD EU IT ITEAGR
SUBJECT: SCANDALS IN THE ITALIAN BEEF 
LIVESTOCK INDUSTRY 
 
¶1.  SUMMARY: CURRENT BSE TESTING DOES NOT 
ENSURE A SAFE MEAT SUPPLY ACCORDING TO 
ITALY'S CARABINIERI. ALTHOUGH ONE MILLION MAD 
COW TESTS HAVE BEEN CONDUCTED ON ITALIAN 
CATTLE DESTINED FOR SLAUGHTER SINCE TESTING 
BECAME COMPULSORY AT THE BEGINNING OF 2001, 
THE 83 DETECTIONS ARE NOT AS SIGNIFICANT AS 
ACTIONS TO AVOID BSE TESTING ALTOGETHER. 
LA REPUBBLICA'S ARTICLE ON DECEMBER 6 DETAILS 
ILLEGAL DRUG USE ON ANIMALS, FRAUD, CATTLE 
RUSTLING, UNREGULATED SLAUGHTER, AND OTHER 
MISDEEDS IN ITALY'S BEEF AND FEED INDUSTRY. 
 
¶2.  OVER THE TWO YEARS SINCE OBLIGATORY BSE 
TESTING WAS INVOKED, THE GOI HAS BEEN 
INVESTIGATING IRREGULARITIES IN THE CATTLE 
INDUSTRY AND MEAT TRADE. ACCORDING TO THE 
REPORT, INVESTIGATIONS CONDUCTED BY THE 
ITALIAN LAW ENFORCEMENT UNIT RESPONSIBLE FOR 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
PAGE 03        ROME  05917  01 OF 02  101652Z 
FRAUD IN FOOD AND ANIMAL HEALTH, THE 
CARABINIERI NAS, HAS DOCUMENTED EXTENSIVE 
ILLEGAL HORMONE AND DRUG USE, CATTLE THEFT, 
AND ILLEGAL SLAUGHTER. THE ARTICLE DETAILS 
ABUSES, ARRESTS, FINES, AND THE WILEY WAYS 
EMPLOYED BY SOME ITALIAN PRODUCERS TO AVOID 
BSE TESTING.  THE ARTICLE ALSO HIGHLIGHTS 
SOME HUMAN HEALTH CONSEQUENCES OF EATING MEAT 
CONTAINING ANABOLIC STEROIDS, ANTIBIOTICS, 
CORTISONE, AND SOMATOTROPHIN. COMMENT: NO 
MENTION IS MADE OF THE REGULATED USE OF 
HORMONES ON CATTLE IN THE US, SCIENTIFIC 
STUDIES ON THIS PRACTICE, NOR ANY HISTORY OF 
THE WTO'S CONCLUSION THAT THE EU BAN ON US 
HORMONE-TREATED BEEF IS ILLEGAL. 
NOTWITHSTANDING IMPLICATIONS THAT ILLEGAL 
PRACTICES IN THE BEEF SECTOR ENDANGER THE 
PUBLIC HEALTH, NO MENTION IS MADE OF THE GOI 
MINISTRY OF HEALTH'S MANDATE TO ENSURE A SAFE 
FOOD SUPPLY. END COMMENT. 
 
¶3.  THE ARTICLE SUMMARIZED CARABINIERI 
INVESTIGATIONS CARRIED OUT FROM JANUARY 2001 
TO NOVEMBER 2002 IN ALL OF ITALY. THE 
FOLLOWING SUMMARIZES THE NEWS ARTICLE: 
 
- THE PROBLEM IS GEOGRAPHICALLY WIDESPREAD. 
ALTHOUGH SICILY IS THE ITALIAN REGION WITH 
THE LARGEST NUMBER OF VIOLATIONS, LOMBARDY 
(IN THE NORTH, AND THE MOST WEALTHY OF 
ITALY'S 20 REGIONS) RANKS IN SECOND PLACE. 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
PAGE 04        ROME  05917  01 OF 02  101652Z 
- 13,746 VIOLATIONS WERE FOUND FROM A TOTAL 
OF 26,707 INSPECTIONS. 
 
- 7,440 PERSONS WERE FOUND TO BE IN VIOLATION 
OF MEAT SAFETY OR ANIMAL HEALTH REGULATIONS. 
 
- (ONLY) 60 PERSONS WERE ARRESTED. 
 
- 363 PLANTS AND 1431 TONS OF MEAT WERE 
SEIZED, TOTALING  114 MILLION EUROS IN 
ILLEGALLY DRUGGED OR CONTAMINATED MEAT. 
 
- 424,549 HEAD OF CATTLE HAVE BEEN SEIZED. 
 
- 4034 INSPECTIONS HAVE BEEN MADE IN FEED 
PLANTS WITH 897 VIOLATIONS FOUND IN THE FEED 
SECTOR. 
 
- HORMONES (STEROIDS) USED TO BOOST ANIMAL 
WEIGHT, CORTISONE FOR TISSUES TO RETAIN 
WATER, BETA-AGONISTS TO PROMOTE MUSCLE 
GROWTH, SOMATOTROPHIN TO INCREASE MILK 
PRODUCTION, AND ANTIBIOTIC PROPHYLAXIS TO 
KEEP ANIMALS FROM FALLING ILL WERE ALL FOUND 
BY THE CARABINIERI'S INQUIRIES INTO CATTLE 
AND BEEF PRODUCTION. FALSE CERTIFICATES 
 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
                           UNCLASSIFIED     PTQ2997 
 
PAGE 01        ROME  05917  02 OF 02  101652Z 
ACTION EUR-00 
 
INFO  LOG-00   AID-00   CEA-01   CIAE-00  COME-00  CTME-00  DODE-00 
      ITCE-00  SRPP-00  EB-00    EXME-00  E-00     UTED-00  VC-00 
      FRB-00   H-01     TEDE-00  INR-00   IO-00    ITC-01   LAB-01 
      L-00     VCE-00   AC-01    NSAE-00  NSCE-00  OES-00   OIC-02 
      OMB-01   OPIC-01  ACE-00   SP-00    SSO-00   SS-00    STR-00 
      TEST-00  TRSE-00  USIE-00  DRL-02   G-00     SAS-00     /011W 
                  ------------------158BD7  101745Z /38 
R 101513Z DEC 02 
FM AMEMBASSY ROME 
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 7267 
USDA FAS WASHDC 2462 
INFO EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE 
USMISSION GENEVA 
AMCONSUL MILAN 
AMCONSUL FLORENCE 
AMCONSUL NAPLES 
 
UNCLAS SECTION 02 OF 02 ROME 005917 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE PASS USDA FOR FAS/CMP/DLP/RWENTZEL 
CMP/GFD/RIEMENSCHNEIDER; CMP/COT/LBLUM 
 
ITP/EAMED/MACKE/YOUNG 
FSIS/SSTRATMOEN 
OFSTS/RICHEY/APHIS/ATORRES 
STATE PASS USTR 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
PAGE 02        ROME  05917  02 OF 02  101652Z 
BRUSSELS ALSO FOR USEU 
GENEVA FOR USTR, ALSO AGRICULTURE 
MILAN FOR PRINCIPAL OFFICER 
FLORENCE FOR PRINCIPAL OFFICER 
NAPLES FOR PRINCIPAL OFFICER 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAGR ETRD EU ETRD EU IT ITEAGR
SUBJECT: SCANDALS IN THE ITALIAN BEEF 
LIVESTOCK INDUSTRY 
 
MISREPRESENTING AN OLDER ANIMAL AT A YOUNGER 
AGE IN ORDER TO AVOID COMPULSORY BSE TESTS 
AFTER SLAUGHTER WERE ANOTHER TYPICAL 
VIOLATION.  AN ANIMAL ID SYSTEM BASED ON EAR 
TAGS WAS ALSO FOUND TO BE FRAUDULENTLY USED 
BY MANY FARMERS WHO WOULD STATE THAT THEIR 
ANIMAL'S TAG WAS LOST, APPLY FOR A NEW EAR 
TAG, AND THEN USE THE DUPLICATE TAG ON AN 
ILLEGALLY OBTAINED ANIMAL. 
 
¶4.  ACCORDING TO CONFAGRICOLTURA, ONE OF THE 
MAJOR ITALIAN FARMER ORGANIZATIONS, SINCE THE 
BSE SCANDAL OCCURRED IN 2000 CATTLE THEFT HAS 
INCREASED 20 PERCENT IN ITALY.  CORONEL 
DAINESE, CHIEF OF NAS, STATED THAT ABOUT 5 
PERCENT OF ITALIAN BEEF IS ILLEGALLY PRODUCED 
OR MARKETED AND BSE IS NO LONGER THE MAJOR 
RISK FOR ITALIAN CONSUMERS OF BEEF. 
 
¶5.  COMMENT: ITALY'S BEEF SECTOR HAS BEEN 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
PAGE 03        ROME  05917  02 OF 02  101652Z 
NOTORIOUS FOR THESE TYPES OF PRACTICES. WHILE 
THE ARTICLE DEPICTS ABUSES IN THE BEEF 
SECTOR, THIS STANDS IN SHARP CONTRAST TO THE 
PORK SECTOR.  A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE 
BETWEEN THESE TWO IS THAT THE ITALIANS HAVE 
SUBSTANTIAL EXPORT INTERESTS TO DEFEND IN THE 
CASE OF PORK.  TECHNICAL COLLABORATION 
BETWEEN THE GOI'S MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND USDA 
VETERINARY OFFICIALS HAS BEEN POSITIVE AND 
PRODUCTIVE IN THE PORK PROCESSING SECTOR. 
MINISTRY OF HEALTH OFFICIALS STATED, WHEN 
ASKED ABOUT THE LA REPUBBLICA ARTICLE, THAT 
LAW ENFORCEMENT AGAINST SUCH CRIMINAL ACTS 
FALLS UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF THE CARABINIERI. 
END COMMENT.  SEMBLER 
 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
> 
 2002ROME05917 - Classification: UNCLASSIFIED

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Viewing cable 02ROME5917, SCANDALS IN THE ITALIAN BEEF