GEORGIA: JUNE 7 UPDATE ON AFRICAN SWINE FEVER

C O N F I D E N T I A L TBILISI 001364

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR EUR/CARC, OES/S AND EB.TPP/ABT

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/07/2017
TAGS: EAGR SENV PGOV TBIO GG
SUBJECT: GEORGIA: JUNE 7 UPDATE ON AFRICAN SWINE FEVER
OUTBREAK

REF: TBILISI 1329

Classified By: Ambassador John F. Tefft, reason 1.4(b) and (d)


1. (C) The Georgian government has begun to mobilize its
forces to deal with the outbreak of African Swine Fever (ASF)
reported reftel. Prime Minister Noghaideli discussed the
situation with the Cabinet on June 6 and ordered that
appropriate measures be taken. The same day the government
notified the International Office of Epizootics (OIE),which
has issued a worldwide alert message. The GOG's report to
the OIE indicates the presence of the disease in all parts of
the country, but Western Georgia, near the Black Sea coast is
believed to be most affected. Twenty thousand susceptible
pigs have been destroyed, and others have certainly died of
the virus. The Georgian Ministry of Agriculture lab
speculates that the disease originated in animal waste from a
ship that docked in Poti. Lacking any facilities to
incinerate the waste, it was improperly disposed of. The GOG
reported to the OIE that it is controlling movement of swine
within the country, disinfecting premises, dipping and
spraying pigs, quarantining infected animals, and culling
herds. The government announced publicly that it is
informing the population of the problem, isolating pigs,
killing stray pigs on sight and digging holes to dispose of
the carcasses. Special quarantine zones have been
established in Kakheti where the sale of pork is banned.
Surveillance of Tbilisi markets is being stepped up.


2. (C) When we contacted him today, Deputy Minister of
Agriculture Bakur Kvezereli was in Kakheti accompanying a
Canadian expert provided by the World Bank to see what more
can be done. The head of Embassy Tbilisi's Defense Threat
Reduction Office (DTRO) is meeting with Minister of
Agriculture Petre Tsiskarishvili on the evening of June 7,
the day Tsiskarishvili returned from Europe, to inform him
about what DTRO can offer. Tsiskarishvili has spent the day
touring affected areas of the country. DTRO is hosting a
team of U.S. veterinary experts that will arrive in Georgia
on the evening of June 8. The experts are bringing reagents
needed to conduct field testing of animals. They will
conduct training on June 9 for employees of the Ministry of
Agriculture laboratory. Their expertise, equipment and
supplies will give the Ministry of Agriculture the ability
to test for the disease, which it lacks now. DTRO wants to
provide the Ministry with a "stun gun" that can be used to
kill pigs in a painless and bloodless way required to prevent
the spread of infection.
TEFFT