CROATIA ADDRESSING THREAT OF AVIAN

UNCLAS ZAGREB 001436 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: TBIO ECON PREL SOCI HR SUBJECT: CROATIA ADDRESSING THREAT OF AVIAN INFLUENZA REF: STATE 153802 ¶1. SUMMARY AND COMMENT Post has delivered reftel talking points to both the Ministries of HEALTH and Agriculture. The GOC's strategy includes the establishment of an inter-agency committee; an awareness outreach to veterinarians and producers; a ban on imports from affected countries; and cooperation with the international community, neighboring countries, and municipalities. The plan seems comprehensive and well coordinated at the national and local levels. END SUMMARY AND COMMENT ¶2. On August 31, 2005 Emboffs met with Ms. Sanja Separovic, Head of the Animal HEALTH Department and Veterinary Practice Department, Ministry of Agriculture to discuss Croatia's strategy for addressing the threat of avian influenza. Ms. Separovic is also a member of the interagency committee that deals with avian influenza. Ms. Separovic's contact information is phone: 385-1-610- 6702, fax: 385-1-610-9207, and email: veterinarstvo@zg.tel.hr. ¶3. In order to increase awareness of the threat, the Ministry of Agriculture is preparing information materials to be distributed to producers and vets throughout Croatia. Previous outreaches have also included workshops with local vets and meetings with producers/farmers. A pamphlet on avian influenza is expected to be completed the week of September 5, ¶2005. The GOC is stressing to producers the importance of adhering to strict biosafety measures and reporting any incidents. ¶4. Croatia instituted a ban on the import of poultry and poultry products from affected countries (a largely symbolic move, since Croatian imports are negligible overall and non-existent from the affected countries). The poultry sector is important in Croatia and EU safety standards relating to the export of poultry have already been adopted. ONE hundred percent of all commercial poultry producers keep their birds enclosed. As part of its plan to combat avian influenza, regulations were adopted requiring producers to notify the government of any suspected cases. If any cases of the disease are identified, all poultry in a three-kilometer radius would be culled and poultry within a twenty-kilometer radius would be placed under surveillance testing. Most poultry production in Croatia is concentrated in the north and west near the cities of Varazdin and Slavonski Brod. ¶5. Ms. Separovic indicated that GOC has good cooperation with the EU and neighboring countries on this issue. DELAWIE NNNN