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

301411Z Dec 05

UNCLAS TEL AVIV 007102 
 
SIPDIS 
 
INTERIOR PASS FISH AND WILDLIFE 
USDA FOR APHIS AND FAS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAGR ETRD TBIO IS ENVIRONMENT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY ECONOMY AND FINANCE GOI EXTERNAL
SUBJECT: ISRAELI AVIAN FLU-RELATED RESTRICTIONS ON POULTRY 
IMPORTS 
 
REFS: A) STATE 216147, B) STATE 209622, C) TEL AVIV 05579, 
 
D) TEL AVIV 06170 
 
¶1.  SUMMARY:  On October 13, 2005 Israel banned all imports 
of poultry products from Turkey following a reported case of 
AI there.  Israel currently bans the import of poultry and 
poultry products from areas where AI cases have been 
confirmed - Southeast Asia, Croatia, Russia, and Romania. 
The supply of poultry products has not been affected by 
these bans, as Israel is largely self-sufficient in the 
production of poultry products.  There has been no decrease 
in the consumption of poultry products in Israel, in part 
due to the level of public confidence fostered by public 
awareness campaigns regarding preventative food safety 
measures undertaken by the GOI's Ministry of Agriculture. 
END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2.  In Israel, over 300,000 tons of chicken, 95,000 tons of 
turkey, and over one billion eggs are consumed per year. 
Due to kashrut practices and kosher food processing 
regulations, the majority of poultry products are produced 
in country.  This increases the economic impact that an 
outbreak of the H5N1 strain of influenza would have on local 
poultry producers.  The most at risk poultry population for 
contact with affected wild birds are table-egg layer stocks. 
This is because approximately ninety percent of such hens 
are raised in Moshavs, where between 2,500 and 3,000 hens 
are housed per building in a confined area, thereby making 
it more difficult to limit the exposure of healthy hens to 
unhealthy ones.  According to the Chief of Poultry Services, 
Dr. Pokamunski, an AI outbreak among table-egg layers would 
decimate this industry sub-sector in Israel. 
 
¶3.  Breeder stocks are imported from the United States, 
United Kingdom, and Canada.  All breeder stocks and turkeys 
are vaccinated against respiratory diseases that commonly 
affect poultry.  The Veterinary Service has also established 
a vaccine assurance procurement arrangement with a poultry 
vaccine producer in the Netherlands.  Under the terms of 
this agreement, a total of four million doses of poultry 
vaccine could be procured and shipped within 72 hours. 
 
¶4.  In terms of containment, if AI is found in a flock of 
poultry, all poultry flocks grown within a 3-kilometer 
radius of the affected flock will be culled to create a 
"sterile zone."  Owners of these flocks would be 
compensated, but a financial compensation package has not 
yet been determined, and the owners probably would not be 
compensated for their full economic losses.  Poultry flocks 
in the 7-kilometer radius outside any sterile zone will be 
monitored and undergo active surveillance for signs of 
disease.  Poultry grown within this 7-kilometer radius would 
not enter the food supply chain without clearance from the 
Veterinary Service. 
 
¶5.  Dr. Pokamunski told post that if AI becomes a pandemic 
in Israel, there will be a "big mess" in the poultry 
industry and Israel will lose up to eighty percent of its 
commercial flocks.  At the same time, he noted that the 
short-term risk of transmission of AI from wild birds to 
poultry would decrease soon as Israel is approaching the end 
of the southbound migratory bird fly over season. 
 
¶6.  Post has provided Ref A talking points to the Ministry 
of Industry and Trade. 
 
CRETZ