VZCZCXYZ0019
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHAM #0816 0760558
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 160558Z MAR 08
FM AMEMBASSY AMMAN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2053
INFO RUEHGB/AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD 5885
RUEHEG/AMEMBASSY CAIRO 3581
RUEHDM/AMEMBASSY DAMASCUS 3840
RUEHRH/AMEMBASSY RIYADH 1913
RUEHTV/AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV 1081
RUEHJM/AMCONSUL JERUSALEM 4920
RUEHRC/USDA FAS WASHDC

UNCLAS AMMAN 000816 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EEB/TTP/ABT 
FAS FOR OFFICE OF TRADE PROGRAMS 
FAS FOR OFFICE OF GLOBAL ANALYSIS FAS FOR OFFICE OF GLOBAL ANALYSIS 
CAIRO FOR FAS AGMINCOUNS PKURZ 
CAIRO FOR APHIS ATTACHE LLOGAN 
DAMASCUS FOR AG SPECIALIST DALATI 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAGR ETRD TBIO JO
SUBJECT: LIVESTOCK IDENTIFICATION PROGRAM UNDERWAY TO PROVIDE 
ACCURATE DATA AND IMPROVE HEALTH STANDARDS 
 
Refs: A) Amman 51 
      B) 07 Amman 4622 
      C) 07 Amman 3584 
      D) 07 Amman 1762 
      E) 06 Amman 1513 
 
Sensitive but unclassified. Not for internet distribution. 
 
¶1. (SBU) The Government of Jordan (GoJ) has completed part one of a 
three-stage process to register and tag all ruminant animals, 
including sheep, goats, camels, and cattle.  One goal of the 
project, which began mid-February and is scheduled to be completed 
by April 2008, is to create an animal traceability system so that 
authorities can pinpoint the source of any disease outbreak or 
epidemic.  Amjad Dawish, Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) Project 
Director, informed Post's FAS office that the project would enable 
GoJ authorities to trace every animal to its herd, flock, or 
backyard farm, which in turn empowers the veterinary service to 
better maintain animal health. 
 
¶2.  (U) The project's second goal is to provide a credible, 
statistical database of livestock counts for use by policy-makers. 
Previous efforts to determine the number of ruminants, such as an 
August 2007 census, failed or were criticized as inaccurate (Ref C). 
 Precise information is needed as Jordan reevaluates its feed 
subsidy program.  Jordan imports most of its annual consumption of 
730,000 metric tons (MT) of barely from abroad; only 35,000 MT is 
produced locally.  The cost of the GoJ's direct barley subsidy 
increased from $40 million in 2002 to about $160 million in 2007, 
triggering concerns about the effect of the subsidy policy on the 
already overburdened budget (Ref B).  The GoJ needs reliable data to 
manage the remaining subsidy program and its phase-out, as well as 
its successor which will provide scaled, cash payments to owners of 
small livestock herds. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Implementation of a national identification program is long 
overdue.  To promote the U.S.-Jordan FTA, a Food Safety Inspection 
Service (FSIS) team visited in February 2005 to assess Jordan's 
animal health status and eligibility to export meat and meat 
products to the U.S. (Ref A).  The final report highlighted, among 
other deficiencies, the need for an animal traceability program. 
The EU shares U.S. concerns, and through a twinning arrangement 
under a broader capacity-building program, funded part of the 
current identification program with a $765,000 grant for plastic 
numbered tags, electronic tags, and computer equipment.  The GoJ has 
contributed $705,000 and will allocate an additional $1.05 million 
in 2008. 
 
¶5. (U) Two types of plastic tags will be used in the identification 
program - one for all ruminants and an extra machine readable tag 
for cattle.  A tag for camels will be introduced later.  All tags 
record Jordan as the country of origin, the governorate or 
sub-governorate, animal type, gender, year of tagging, and a 
six-digit serial number.  Information from the machine-readable tags 
can be downloaded to a central database accessible by MoA and other 
government officials. 
 
¶4. (U) In implementing the tagging project, the country has been 
divided into three zones:  north, south, and central Jordan.  The 
GoJ anticipates that 95 percent of ruminant animals will be 
accounted for in this initial survey.  By the end of the program, no 
animal without a tag will be slaughtered.  Regulations allow 
authorities to fine a farmer $100-500 and impose a jail sentence 
upon non-compliance. 
 
Visit Amman's Classified Web Site at 
http://www.state.gov.sgov.gov/p/nea/amman/ 
 
HALE