A VIEW FROM THE CHICKEN COOP: KUWAITI POULTRY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KUWAIT 000513 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR AIAG, NEA/ARP, NEA/RA; CAIRO FOR LINDA LOGAN AMMAN FOR WHITTLESEY E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/09/2012 TAGS: AMED CASC KSCA SENV TBIO ECON ETRD KU SUBJECT: A VIEW FROM THE CHICKEN COOP: KUWAITI POULTRY COMPANY SAYS GOK "OVERWHELMED" BY AVIAN INFLUENZA OUTBREAK Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Matthew Tueller for Reasons 1.4 (b) an d (d). ¶1. (C) Summary. On April 9, Econoff met with Meshal Al-Bazie, Deputy General Manager of Naif Poultry, one of the largest poultry producers in Kuwait, to discuss the ongoing avian influenza (AI) outbreak. Al-Bazie said only one of Naif's egg farms has been affected by the virus, but that 640,000 birds have been culled from that farm alone. All culling has taken place under the supervision of the Public Authority for Agricultural Affairs and Fish Resources (PAAAFR). He said the current ban on selling live poultry and eggs has severely hampered his company's business, noting that Naif has closed 70 retail outlets that used to sell live birds. He said biosecurity practices at commercial poultry farms are very good, but lamented the PAAAFR's inability to monitor backyard chicken farms, saying that the PAAAFR, while competent, is overwhelmed by the scale of the outbreak. Al-Bazie also noted that certain private farms with small poultry holdings are not being inspected by the PAAAFR because they are owned by powerful Kuwaitis. While generally pleased with the PAAAFR's response so far, Al-Bazie said he couldn't tell who was making the decisions at the PAAAFR, and lamented that no high-ranking individuals in the GOK would take control of, and responsibility for, handling the outbreak. End Summary. ¶2. (SBU) On April 9, Econoff and FSN met with Deputy General Manager of Naif Poultry Meshal Al-Bazie. Naif Poultry has roughly 50% of the retail broiler chicken market and 25-30% of the egg market in Kuwait, is a major supplier to food companies, and operates a chain of chicken restaurants. The company has 8 egg farms in Wafra (where the AI outbreak has been concentrated),7 broiler farms near Jahra (unaffected), and 7 more broiler farms in Abdalli (also unaffected),near the Iraqi border. Al-Bazie said only one of Naif's farms, in Wafra, has tested positive for the virus, but that a total of 640,000 chickens were culled from that farm alone. The culling, he said, took place under the supervision of the PAAAFR with the participation of Naif farm laborers. He stated his dismay that Naif's egg-layer chickens, which are usually hardy and disease-resistant, have been infected, noting that their typical hardiness is the reason Naif has never spread out egg-layer farms like they have their broiler chickens, which are more likely to become infected with Newcastle's Disease and other maladies. Al-Bazie said the AI outbreak has severely hampered Naif's business, as the ban on selling live poultry and eggs has meant closing 70 of their retail outlets. Freshly slaughtered and frozen poultry can still be sold, but only after a specific batch of chickens is identified and tested by the PAAAFR (results are usually returned in 6 hours),and slaughtered the same day. Al-Bazie was eager to note that Naif has provided influenza vaccines and protective clothing to all of its workers. ¶3. (C) Al-Bazie said he had heard many stories about the origin of the AI outbreak in Kuwait, but the most common version concerns infected falcons from Pakistan. These falcons were owned by a Kuwaiti who also raised quail and chickens in a backyard pen. Al-Bazie said backyard poultry holdings are the primary problem in Kuwait, as commercial operations practice very good biosecurity at their facilities. (Note: Post concurs with Al-Bazie's assessment of commercial poultry biosecurity practices in Kuwait.) In response to Econoff's question about the PAAAFR's willingness to inspect all non-commercial poultry holdings, Al-Bazie stated that certain farms owned by powerful or well-connected Kuwaitis were not being inspected. He said the PAAAFR openly admitted to him that inspecting those farms was "a red line that couldn't be crossed." ¶4. (C) In general, Al-Bazie said the PAAAFR has competently handled the outbreak so far, but was clearly unprepared for the scale of the problem. He said the PAAAFR was correct in focusing on backyard poultry as the primary threat, but took for granted the biosecurity at commercial farms and is now "overwhelmed" by the crisis. He lauded the work of PAAAFR Deputy Director of Animal Health Dr. Muhammad Al-Muhanna, but said Al-Muhanna is often not authorized to make decisions, and it isn't clear who is the decision-maker at PAAAFR right now. (Note: Post has worked with Al-Muhanna since the beginning of the AI situation in 2005, and has found him to be a competent official.) Al-Bazie said Dr. Farida Al-Mulla, who until recently was the Director of Animal Health and KUWAIT 00000513 002 OF 002 Al-Muhanna's boss, "couldn't handle" the outbreak and was transfered to another position at the Kuwait Zoo. Al-Bazie said Al-Mulla's replacement, Nabila Al-Ali (aka Nabila Al-Khalil),is not an animal health expert and has nothing to offer in the fight to control the outbreak. ********************************************* * For more reporting from Embassy Kuwait, visit: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/kuwait/?cable s Visit Kuwait's Classified Website: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/kuwait/ ********************************************* Tueller