JORDAN'S POULTRY SECTOR AND THE IMPACT OF THE MARCH 2006

UNCLAS AMMAN 002990 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR NEA/ELA; NEA/RA; M/MED DASHO, DR. TRIPLET; OES SINGER, DALEY; AND CA/OCS/ACS/NESA STATE PASS USAID FOR GLOBAL HEALTH/K. HILL, D. CARROLL USDA FOR APHIS GENEVA FOR WHO REPRESENTATIVE ROME PASS US MISSION FAO E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAGR ECON TBIO KFLU JO SUBJECT: JORDAN'S POULTRY SECTOR AND THE IMPACT OF THE MARCH 2006 AVIAN INFLUENZA OUTBREAK REF: A) AMMAN 1276; B) 06 AMMAN 2358; C) 06 AMMAN 2326; D) 06 AMMAN 2176 ¶1. (SBU) Summary: Jordan's poultry sector, the largest agricultural business in the country, has almost recovered to pre-outbreak consumption and production levels after experiencing an occurrence of H5N1 Avian Influenza in March 2006 (Ref D). Jordanian Ministry of Agriculture officials and academics, however, estimate more than $140 million in losses for the sector primarily from the destruction of flocks, falling prices of poultry products, a decrease in tourism, and government expenditures to control the spread of the disease. Although the Government of Jordan (GOJ) has taken numerous, significant steps to prevent the occurrence of another outbreak and minimize any affects on the economy if another incident occurs, Jordan lacks a comprehensive contingency plan to combat the disease. End Summary. BACKGROUND: Jordan's Poultry Market -------------- ¶2. (U) Poultry comprises 55.6 percent of Jordan's livestock sector, which is the largest component of agricultural output in the country. Jordan mostly is self-sufficient in producing fresh poultry and eggs, but imports most processed poultry products. According to a draft report prepared by Ministry of Agriculture officials and academic experts and presented to the FAO, there were 2,202 broiler farms with a capacity of more than 27 million birds, producing 148 thousand tons of poultry meat in 2005, when the latest agriculture census was completed in Jordan. Table egg production totaled 786 million eggs in 2005. The annual average per capita consumption of poultry meat was estimated at 24.2 kg (53 lbs.) and table egg consumption at 157 eggs in 2005. NOTE: U.S. per capita consumption of poultry meat was 102.5 lbs. and table egg consumption was 255 eggs in 2005. END NOTE. Household expenditure surveys in Jordan show that the total value of poultry meat consumed was near JD 195.3 million ($280m),representing almost 4 percent of total household expenditures. ¶3. (U) Half of Jordanian poultry is still processed by hand in special "Natafat" shops. Seven modern slaughter houses cover the other half of the total dressed poultry production. Backyard poultry production for household use is also an important factor in many Jordanian homes, but the total number of traditional backyard flocks is declining due to eradication of birds by both government eradication teams and their owners to avoid avian flu. ¶4. (U) The draft report stated that poultry production in Jordan faces many obstacles including: A) Competition among locally-produced poultry; higher quality, subsidized European imports; and competitive Brazilian imports. B) Technical and health problems that raise the mortality rate in poultry farms to about 20 percent, compared to 10 percent in developed countries. C) Inadequate number of laboratories and diagnosis centers for poultry diseases with specialized veterinarians, and farmers' tendencies to diagnose diseases themselves and administer their own medications. D) High production costs due to increased cost of imported feed, which is the main component of production inputs. Socio-Economic Costs of the Avian Influenza Outbreak -------------- -------------- ¶5. (U) Jordan has had no more reported cases of avian influenza since the March 2006 outbreak, and the World Health Organization declared Jordan free of the disease two months after the reported incident (Ref C). The majority of the losses sustained by the poultry sector were limited to the first four-five months after the outbreak. ¶6. (U) In addition to the 19,000 birds destroyed by the government, as many as 200,000 backyard poultry may have been voluntarily slaughtered by their owners. During the time of the outbreak, many Jordanian consumers decided to stop eating poultry products, significantly reducing prices, which fell more than 50 percent in some areas. ¶7. (U) The study's authors estimated the total economic cost of the 2006 H5N1 outbreak in Jordan for the poultry sector at JD 98.4 million ($140M),largely borne by commercial broiler farmers who suffered JD 37.7 million ($54M) in losses due to the decrease in prices. The tourist sector was also affected, accounting for JD 12.5 million ($17.9M) in losses. NOTE: Other events, such as the November 2005 hotel bombings in Amman, may have also contributed to this downturn in tourism. END NOTE. The GOJ has also spent JD 7.72 million ($11M) on vaccinations, training new staff, and reforming biosecurity measures on farms. Compensation to owners of the destroyed birds cost the government JD 63,000 ($90K). Preparedness -------------- ¶8. (SBU) The GOJ has taken steps to prevent and combat future outbreaks of avian influenza, such as investing in new laboratories, hiring staff, and promoting new biosecurity techniques (Ref A). Jordan, however, still lacks a comprehensive strategy against the disease, according to FAO expert Jan Lambers. For example, Lambers said Jordan has no clear strategy on whether to use "stamping out" or vaccination programs to prevent the spread of an outbreak; there is no clear compensation plan that would encourage farmers to report an outbreak quickly or follow the guidelines set by the government; and there are no best practice instructions for farmers to apply bio-safety concepts on farms. View from the Coop -------------- ¶9. (SBU) Mosa Wakileh, a large poultry farm operator in Jordan, expressed confidence, however, to Econoffs July 9 that the country was fully prepared to prevent or handle a similar outbreak. He believed there was strong cooperation among the GOJ ministries, universities, hospitals, military, and all the other parties necessary to effectively combat the disease. Wakileh also remarked that if another outbreak were to occur, consumers would not react in the same way because most Jordanians are more educated about the disease than before. ¶10. (U) Wakileh stated that some aspects of the avian influenza outbreak were actually positive for the Jordanian poultry market. Although significant losses in the months immediately after the outbreak caused some of the smaller operations to go out of business, he said that the market has since rebounded, prices are higher than pre-outbreak, and the remaining larger producers are looking to expand operations to keep up with consumption. He noted that the outbreak brought about a branded poultry market, and increased the quality of the products being sold. He also said that the marketing system for poultry had improved and was much more transparent. Visit Amman's Classified Web Site at http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/amman RUBINSTEIN