Newcastle's disease broke out in Israel in December, resulting in the slaughter of more than 500,000 chickens, causing over NIS 8 million in damage. Newcastle's disease is lethal to poultry, but does not affect people, except for rare cases of eye inflammation.
Newcastle's disease does, however, have serious economic ramifications. A single infected chicken in a coop requires by law the destruction of all the chickens in it, as well as all eggs. All chicken coops within a three kilometer radius of an infected coop are quarantined, and cannot market their poultry or eggs until certified by the Ministry of Agriculture.
Two new outbreaks of Newcastle's disease were reported yesterday: one at Moshav Mishar near Gedera, and the other at Moshav Adanim in the Sharon. Glicksman, one of Israel's largest egg suppliers, has coops in the Gedera area. If its coops become infected, a severe egg shortage is liable to occur.
The Veterinary Service is responsible for the destruction of poultry, quarantine of coops, and vaccination of birds. The Veterinary Service, a unit of the Ministry of Agriculture, has police authority in this matter.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on February 8, 2011
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