VZCZCXRO5343
RR RUEHDU RUEHJO
DE RUEHSA #0884 1240916
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 040916Z MAY 09
FM AMEMBASSY PRETORIA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8334
RUEHRC/USDA FAS WASHDC 2014
INFO RUEHTN/AMCONSUL CAPE TOWN 6807
RUEHJO/AMCONSUL JOHANNESBURG 9147
RUEHDU/AMCONSUL DURBAN 0918

UNCLAS PRETORIA 000884 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EEB/MTA FOR Jack Bobo 
STATE PASS USTR FOR Melissa Clarkson 
USDA FOR FAS/OSTA/NTPMD Priscilla Joseph and Farah Naim 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAGR ETRD TBIO
SUBJECT: South Africa's Response to CCFL Demarche 
 
REF: State 038413 
 
¶1. Ag Attache provided reftel demarche points to the South African 
Codex Point of Contact, Malose Daniel Matlala, Deputy Director, 
Inter-agency Liaison and Regulatory Nutrition, Department of Health, 
Directorate of Food Control on April 24, 2009. The official 
responded that South Africa will not send a delegation to the 
Calgary meeting for administrative reasons. 
 
¶2.  In a written response to the demarche, Mr. Matlala acknowledges 
the USG's request for support of its proposal on labeling of foods 
and food ingredients obtained through GM/GE. He states, however, 
that South Africa is not in a position to comment on the issue in 
view of the possibility that the Department of Trade and Industry 
(DTI) might require mandatory labeling under the proposed Consumer 
Protection Bill.  Since the Bill's mandatory labeling requirement is 
based on a consumer's "right to know" and is not related to food 
safety or public health concerns, Mr. Matlala suggested that the 
Department of Health's Directorate of Food Control will continue to 
discuss the implementation of this requirement with the DTI. 
 
¶3.  Note:  Subsequent to the Directorate's written reponse, the 
President of South Africa signed the Consumer Protection Bill into 
law on April 30. 
 
¶3. Comment:  Over the past year, OAA/Pretoria has been reviewing 
with FAS/Washington and State/EEB the implications of this mandatory 
GM labeling requirement on agricultural biotechnology developments 
in South Africa and the region.  Post has received funding from 
State/EEB to bring U.S. speakers on the subject to reach out to 
Parliament and others involved on the practicalities of implementing 
mandatory GMO labeling.  Since this bill also has the potential to 
affect U.S. food imports into South Africa, OAA/Pretoria has 
requested funding from the FAS/Emerging Market Program to support an 
educational trip for regulators and media to the United States. This 
funding was not approved in FY09, but will be resubmitted for 
consideration in FY10. End Comment.