VZCZCXYZ0013
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHWR #0199 0541306
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 231306Z FEB 09
FM AMEMBASSY WARSAW
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 7852
INFO RUEHRC/DEPT OF AGRICULTURE WASHDC
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS

UNCLAS WARSAW 000199 
 
STATE FOR EEB/TPP/MTAA/ABT MSZYMANSKI, JBOBO; EUR/ERA 
USDA FAS FOR OCRA/SNENON, JKOWALSKI; OSTA/MCHESLEY, EJONES 
BRUSSELS FOR AG MINISTER COUNSELOR, AGATT LEISHMAN, 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: EAGR ECON ETRD PL
SUBJECT: BIOTECHNOLOGY CORN EVENT DEMARCHE 
 
REF:  STATE 14566 
 
¶1.  FAS Agricultural Counselor delivered reftel demarche on Pioneer 
and Syngenta GMO corn hybrid approvals at the Ministry of 
Environment, February 20, 2009, meeting with New Technologies 
Department Director, Agnieszka Dalbiak.  Dalbiak said Poland has not 
decided how it will vote on February 25 in Brussels on the new 
biotechnology events.  Director Dalbiak commented the possibility of 
WTO trade sanctions was clear and responded affirmatively when 
AgCouns asked if Poland might abstain. 
 
¶2.  EconOff delivered demarche February 19 to Poland's 
representative to the Section 133 committee, Mieczyslaw Nogaj, of 
the Ministry of Economy.  The Econ Ministry had no immediate reply. 
 
¶3. FAS Agricultural Attach delivered demarche to Malgorzata 
Surawska, Director of the Plant Breeding and Protection Department, 
Polish Ministry of Agriculture on February 23.  No response was 
offered.  Neither Director Surawska nor other agriculture contacts 
were available for an in-person meeting until later in the week. 
 
¶4. Comment:  Post will follow-up to obtain information on Poland's 
decision and details of a law on cultivating genetically modified 
crops now being drafted.  However, Poland's established policy to 
vote against approval of all GMO varieties remains in effect, and we 
expect it to follow that policy and vote against the approvals 
during this vote as well.  Nevertheless, Director Dalbiak's comment 
that Poland might abstain shows Poland at least is having an 
internal debate on biotech.  Decision makers have a greater 
appreciation that their actions have consequences after facing a 
large retaliation sanction in the WTO beef hormone case.  End 
Comment. 
 
QUANRUD