VZCZCXRO4940
RR RUEHAG RUEHDF RUEHIK RUEHLZ RUEHROV
DE RUEHWR #0823/01 1931311
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 111311Z JUL 08
FM AMEMBASSY WARSAW
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6740
RUEHRC/DEPT OF AGRICULTURE WASHDC
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS
INFO RUEHKW/AMCONSUL KRAKOW 2128
RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 WARSAW 000823 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EUR/NCE 
STATE FOR EEB/TPP/ABT/BTT FINN 
USDA FOR FAS/OSTA MHENNEY, LJONES; FAS/OFSO DYOUNG 
USDA FOR FAS/OCRA/RCURTIS, DSEIDBAND 
BRUSSELS PASS AG MINISTER COUNSELOR; 
EUROPEAN POSTS FOR AGR/ECON 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: EAGR ECON ETRD TBIO PGOV PL
SUBJECT:   POLAND MAY AVOID GM ANIMAL FEED BAN 
 
WARSAW 00000823  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1.  (U) Summary.  Legislation to delay a ban on genetically modified 
crops in animal feed until 2012 will likely be signed by President 
Kaczynski soon after he receives it from the Parliament.  The Sejm 
(parliament) and Senate gave final approval to the legislation July 
11 and will send the draft law to the President soon.  The ban would 
have prohibited biotechnology events in animal feeds from August 11, 
¶2008.  Postponement of the ban will be due to concerted efforts of 
domestic animal producers, local government officials, U.S. trade 
associations, and Embassy officers from the Agriculture, Economic, 
Commercial, and Public Affairs Sections.  The EU Commission did 
nothing to educate Poland about the need to comply with its 
regulations on biotechnology, ignoring the issue. 
 
¶2.  (U) In 2006, Poland passed a law to prohibit the use of any 
animal feed derived from genetically modified (GM) products 
beginning August 11, 2008.  Due to already high feed prices, animal 
agriculture in Poland is struggling to survive.  The additional 
expense for premium non-GM feed would be devastating to Poland's 
animal production.  Poland risked a $6.4 billion loss in production 
of pork, dairy, and poultry, as there is no alternative to using 
imported, modified soybeans in animal feed.  Poland's Ministry of 
Agriculture successfully forced the issue passed the Ministry of 
Environment, which staunchly opposes biotechnology. 
 
¶3. (U) A new law delaying the ban's implementation until 2012 will 
likely be signed by the President and become law.  The ban looks 
headed towards postponement due to a coalition of domestic animal 
producers and regional politicians, influenced by the U.S. Embassy 
and U.S. trade associations.  U.S. Embassy Poland worked directly 
with the Ministry of Agriculture, producer groups and the opposition 
party, which holds the Presidency in Poland, to make them aware of 
the ban's potential effects on Polish agriculture. Embassy Warsaw 
hosted the American Soybean Association several times over the last 
year to inform Polish producers about the asynchronous approval 
problem caused by delays in approval of GM varieties by the EU 
Commission.  This outreach spilled over to help galvanize action in 
Poland on the feed ban.  The Commission was never heard in the 
debate, except for the threat of a fine if Poland did not bring its 
legislation into conformity with EU law.  Most soybeans used in 
Poland come from Argentina, but the ban would have damaged U.S. 
agricultural investments and outlawed about $100 million in prepared 
feed that are derived from U.S. soybeans. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Post correctly identified Jan Krzystof Ardanowski, Advisor 
to the President on Agriculture, as a man with the President's ear 
and an important critic of agricultural biotechnology.  USDA hosted 
Ardanowski in the United States for a June visit to Washington, DC; 
Michigan; and Illinois that seems to have been critical to changing 
his understanding of the technology and resolving the crisis. 
Ardanowski was briefed by Foreign Agricultural Service Administrator 
Michael Yost, FAS/Office of Science and Technical Affairs Peter 
Schmeissner and others.  FAS Attach Kate Snipes accompanied 
Ardanowski with a four-member delegation, including members of 
Poland's Ministry of Agriculture, to learn about agricultural 
biotechnology and biofuels.  July 9, Ardanowski told Ag Counselor 
that U.S. efforts to educate Polish leaders on biotechnology 
influenced their decision to work toward a delay of the GM feed ban 
and urged future U.S. engagement.  He added that that this visit 
directly influenced his decision to recommend the four-year delay of 
the GM ban to the Polish Senate and President.  (Comment: 
Ardanowski's voice proved to be the decisive one in the 
parliamentary debate in the Senate.  His own political party, the 
Law and Justice Party (PIS) introduced the ban, and in the face of 
opposition from members of his own party he supported the four year 
delay.  He remains a skeptic, but clearly had his eyes opened during 
his visit.  End comment.) 
 
¶5. (SBU) Ardanowski said that there is more work to be done in 
Poland for farmer education, extension workers, and government 
officials on agricultural biotechnology and asked for future U.S. 
engagement and support.  He said that these efforts would help 
Poland to make a more educated decision about the technology. 
Ardanowski did repeat thoughts prevalent in Europe that using 
protein feeds derived from non-ruminant animals in place of soybeans 
is an alternative to the biotech approval delay.  Next, Post has 
been invited to organize a visit of nationally recognized Polish 
scientists to Opole, in Poland's corn belt, for a briefing of 
regional leaders more interested in the technology for cultivation. 
Poland's recently retired Nutrition Institute chief has agreed to 
accompany emboffs and speak on behalf of the technology.  Poland 
 
WARSAW 00000823  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
annually loses $400 million worth of corn crop to the European Corn 
Borer and producers cannot ignore any longer the damage done to the 
farm economy from this pest. 
 
¶6. (SBU) Comment.  While it will be a few weeks yet until formal 
signature by the President of a postponement to the feed ban, it 
currently seems headed in the right direction.  The GM feed ban has 
been delayed not overturned, but experts think the feed ban to be a 
dead issue.  Now there is a coalition to work with that wants to 
change Poland's policy, educated about the perils of turning their 
back on the global trends in biotechnology.  End Comment.