BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 31
By Samir Aliyev - Trend:
Currently, the Animal Identification and Registration System is being developed to further improve the mechanism of food safety in Azerbaijan within the World Bank project to create the conditions for tracking each animal and livestock product "from farm to consumer", Goshgar Tahmazli, chairman of the Azerbaijan Food Safety Agency, said, Trend reports on Aug. 31.
“The Animal Identification and Registration System is planned to be launched in a test mode as a pilot project in Baku, Sumgayit and Absheron region till late 2021 and throughout the country from 2022,” the chairman said.
“The system will contain the information about diseases of the animal, vaccinations, the used veterinary medicines and other information,” Tahmazli said.
"After the pilot project is fully implemented across the country, it is planned to involve private veterinary services in vaccination and identification,” the chairman added.
“The measures are already being taken to declare the Absheron Peninsula a zone free from animal diseases within the project to reduce the incidence of animals in the country and facilitate the export of livestock products, taking into account the requirements of the World Organization for Animal Health,” Tahmazli said.
The chairman stressed that the "State program for ensuring food safety in the Republic of Azerbaijan for 2019-2025", approved upon the order of the president dated April 29, 2019 and which is being successfully implemented, envisages the creation of a system for the identification and registration of animals and the gradual introduction of this system throughout the country, as well as the development of mechanisms for managing risks to animal health, taking into account the world's best practices.
“The processes of bringing the level of quality of veterinary services in line with international requirements, supporting the creation and development of private veterinary services have been determined as the main directions of the program,” Tahmazli said.
"The Food Safety Agency conducts regular monitoring to detect the spread of especially dangerous animal diseases, carries out serological studies and also takes measures to improve the activity of livestock farms and in connection with the quarantine regime,” the chairman said.
“Together with the Ministry of Agriculture, the measures are regularly taken for the sustainable development of the country's agricultural sector, the production of competitive products, ensuring food safety and maintaining the stable epizootic situation,” Tahmazli said.
“At the same time, the work is regularly underway to improve the legal framework in the field of veterinary medicine,” the chairman said.
“A bill on changes to the law "On veterinary medicine", as well as a number of new legislative acts, some of which have already been amended, has been prepared," Tahmazli said.
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