The GOB Prepares For Bird Flu

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MINSK 000445 SIPDIS FRANKFURT FOR RUSSELL BROWN CA/OCS/ACS FOR MARISOL URBINA-MITTNACHT SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KFLU PGOV PHUM ECON CASC BO SUBJECT: The GOB Prepares For Bird Flu ¶1. (SBU) Summary: The GOB on March 24 ratified a plan to prevent avian influenza (AI) from appearing in Belarus and to isolate it in case of an outbreak. Belarus has long banned poultry product imports and animal feed from nations with confirmed cases of AI but just recently issued decrees on proper packaging and labeling of poultry products and forbidding domestic poultry from roaming freely. The government also purchased large supplies of H5N2 virus vaccinations for domestic birds living near zones susceptible to AI. Although GOB health officials seem prepared to handle an AI outbreak, the economic interests of the GOB could possibly prevent proper reporting should an outbreak occur. The President downplayed the AI threat as "idle talk" and his new five-year plan calls for a USD 560 million investment in the largely government-owned poultry industry. End Summary. The GOB Plan to Prevent AI -------------- ¶2. (U) Belarus remains untouched by AI, although many surrounding countries have reported bird flu cases (i.e., Poland, Ukraine, Russia). Some GOB health officials, worried the upcoming spring bird migrations could introduce the virus, devised a plan approved by the GOB on March 24. The plan coordinates the actions of all GOB agencies, ministries, and oblast and city governments to prevent the spread of the virus should it appear in Belarus. Located in Russian on the Republican Center of Hygiene and Epidemiology's website www.rcheph.by/epid/profil/profilnov.html, the plan is divided into ten sections: ¶1. Preventing bird flu from entering Belarus ¶2. Measures to warn of infection from migrating birds ¶3. Measures of protection of domestic/yard birds ¶4. Measures of protection for poultry industries ¶5. Sanitary/hygienic veterinary measures during the sale of live birds ¶6. Sanitary/hygienic veterinary measures during the sale of poultry products ¶7. Measures to protect the human population ¶8. Measures during the infection of domestic/yard birds ¶9. Measures during infections at poultry industries ¶10. Medical-diagnostic measures during infection among people Poultry and Feed Import Ban -------------- ¶3. (U) The GOB has banned poultry product imports from countries with reported cases of AI. These countries include China, Vietnam, Romania, Russia, Turkey, Iran, Hungary, Greece, Mongolia and Kazakhstan. However, the GOB also reportedly banned U.S. poultry products. [Note: No reason was given for banning U.S. poultry. Post attempted to contact the Ministry of Agriculture to confirm whether this ban in fact exists and for what reasons, but we received no response. On January 10, state media accused the U.S. of creating and spreading AI, SARS, and mad cow disease to destroy foreign markets.] The bans are strict, as news sources report that border guards often turn vehicles away should they be carrying raw meat, eggs, and unlabeled meat snacks. In January alone, border guards refused entry to 600 cars smuggling over 36 tons of meat and poultry products into the country. In addition to the poultry ban, the GOB on March 15 banned the import of animal feed and fodder from countries affected by bird flu. Tougher Packaging Laws -------------- ¶4. (U) Beginning on January 10, poultry products in Belarus were to be sold in properly labeled packages that gave the address of the producer and confirmed the product was tested by the veterinary service. Deputy Minister of Health Mikhail Rimzha said the rule would make it difficult to sell illegal products and assure buyers that poultry was safe. In addition, government sanitary agencies were required to regularly inspect poultry farms and stores. Domestic Birds Not to Run Free -------------- MINSK 00000445 002 OF 002 ¶5. (U) On March 1, the GOB issued a directive ordering people to keep their domestic birds and chicken in their yards and not allow them to roam freely. Local authorities are to enforce this law with fines and/or confiscation of animals. Employees of large poultry farms are not allowed to own any poultry at home. Mass Vaccination of Domestic Birds -------------- ¶6. (U) The GOB on March 6 announced plans to purchase six million vaccine doses at USD 32 per 1,000 doses from Latvia. The vaccines were to be used to vaccinate poultry belonging to independent homesteads located within three kilometers of bodies of water. Meanwhile, the Research and Development Epidemiology and Microbiology Institute of the Ministry of Health has been working on its own human vaccine against the bird flu. President Denies Seriousness of AI -------------- ¶7. (U) On March 10, President Aleksandr Lukashenko told reporters he doubted the threat of bird flu and opined that the danger to Belarusians was limited. According to Lukashenko, the idea of bird flu was no more than "idle talk" and a "commercial problem" than it was a threat. GOB Increases Poultry Production During Flu Season -------------- -------------- ¶8. (U) While dozens of countries are culling poultry flocks within the area of AI outbreaks, AI-free Belarus is increasing its poultry numbers. On March 30, the Ministry of Agriculture announced its new five-year plan to spend USD 560 million to increase egg production four percent annually to 3.5 billion tons by 2010 and increase poultry meat production 70 percent to 250,000 tons. In February, President Aleksandr Lukashenko issued a two-year duty on poultry imports, amounting to 0.45 euro per kilogram in addition to the already-in- effect 0.2-euro tariff on imported poultry meat. The five-year plan, the import bans, and the new import tariffs are seen as measures to protect Belarus' poultry industry, 87 percent of which is controlled by the state- owned poultry production company Belptitseprom. Comment -------------- ¶9. (SBU) Belarus is one of the last remaining countries in Eastern Europe not yet affected by AI, although Belarus is an important rest stop for migrating birds. The GOB plan to prevent and combat an epidemic seems adequate on paper, but Post cannot determine the GOB's ability to quickly determine, isolate, and/or report an outbreak should it occur. Although the President played down the threat of AI, the GOB used it as a legitimate excuse to limit the import of poultry products and subsequently eliminate most competition. Moreover, given the Lukashenko government's considerable investment in the national poultry industry, we are somewhat skeptical about the GOB's honesty in reporting AI should it appear in Belarus. That said, we do not have reason to suspect reported cases of AI have occurred but not been made public. KROL