VZCZCXRO5693
RR RUEHAG RUEHDF RUEHIK RUEHLZ RUEHROV
DE RUEHFR #1173 0851611
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 261611Z MAR 07
FM AMEMBASSY PARIS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 5937
RUEHRC/USDA FAS WASHDC
INFO RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES
RUEHMRE/AMCONSUL MARSEILLE 1609
RUEHSR/AMCONSUL STRASBOURG 0371
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 2635
RHEHAAA/WHITE HOUSE WASHDC

UNCLAS PARIS 001173 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
SIPDIS 
 
BRUSSELS PASS USEU FOR AGMINCOUNSELOR 
STATE FOR OES; EUR/ERA; 
STATE PASS USTR FOR MURPHY; 
USDA/OS/JOHANNS/TERPSTRA; 
USDA/FAS FOR OA/YOST; LA/CHURCH; 
OCRA/CURTIS 
ONA/RIEMENSCHNEIDER 
FAA/YOUNG; 
EU POSTS PASS TO AGRICULTURE AND ECON 
GENEVA FOR USTR, ALSO AGRICULTURE 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAGR ETRD EU FR
SUBJECT: FRANCE LOBBIES STATE OFFICIALS ON GEOGRAPHIC INDICATION 
 
REF: (A) 2007 State 15811 
 
¶1. Summary : On March 9 to 13, the Government of France (GOF) 
invited four state agricultural officials to France to convince them 
that France's approach to the Geographic Indications (GI) Issue 
could benefit their constituencies as well. Agricultural officials 
from Nebraska, South Dakota, Texas and Vermont were exposed to the 
French GI system, its impact on various agricultural operations and 
its perceived benefits for agricultural producers. Officials from 
the French Embassy in WashDC including Christian Berger, the French 
Agricultural Counselor, accompanied the group. Prior to their 
arrival, the FAS office in Paris provided the four officials with 
background information on the U.S. position on the G.I. issue. End 
Summary 
 
¶2. The delegation included Greg Ibach, Director of the Nebraska 
Department of Agriculture, Secretary Larry Gabriel of the South 
Dakota Department of Agriculture, Commissioner Todd Stapples from 
the Texas Department of Agriculture and Secretary Roger Allbee from 
the Vermont Department of Agriculture. 
 
¶3. The State delegation visited several regions in France, including 
Champagne, Poitou Charente (where cognac is produced) and Ile de Re 
which produces potatoes. 
 
¶4. The visit in Champagne was used to lobby the State officials on 
the use of semi-generic names for wines in the United States. Future 
advertising campaigns by French Champagne producers in the United 
States were shown to the delegation, clearly asserting that the only 
legitimate champagne is that produced in the Champagne region of 
France. 
 
¶5. The GOF intention was clearly to make the State officials more 
sympathetic to France's position on GIs. French officials stressed 
the benefits for farmers such as higher price and less competition 
from similar products without the GI. They also stressed that the 
French GI system is supported by producers themselves as well as by 
local communities and that the State only intervenes as a guarantor 
of the rules. 
 
¶6. Finally, French officials openly encouraged the idea of creating 
GI systems at the state level in the United States: they mentioned 
that France and the European Union would be happy to protect GIs on 
American products such as Vermont maple syrup, South Dakota beef or 
Idaho potatoes, should U.S. producers of those products apply for GI 
protection in Europe. They also stated that Napa Valley wine 
producers had applied for GI protection in France to help defend 
their label against Chinese counterfeiting. 
 
¶7. The group saw the value of the GI system in France. They seemed 
to recognize that, while adopting such a system could have 
advantages for their producers, it could also pose threats (i.e. 
losing the ability to use certain names such as cheddar cheese). At 
a dinner with the Institute for Appellation of Origin, Secretary 
Allbee pointed out the problems that might arise, should a GI system 
be included in WTO trade negotiations. 
 
¶8. Comment : This effort as well as France's frequent courting of 
African Ag Ministers and farm leaders, indicate that the GOF is 
willing to dedicate significant resources in order to try to build 
support for its negotiating positions in multilateral fora. 
 
Stapleton