CBA-G Project at National Food Agency of Georgia

Lasha Avaliani

DVM, PhD

Head of Veterinary Department

  

CBA-G

Georgia

• Located in Caucasus region

• The territory of Georgia covers 69,700 km2

• Human population is 4,5 million

• 12 regions, 65 districts, 3211 villages

• Animals:• 1,200,000 Large Ruminant 1,000,000 Small Ruminant •    237,000 pigs• 8,348,000 poultry

Russian Federation

Turkey Armenia Azerbaijan

National Food Agency

Ministry of Agriculture• National Food Agency (NFA) – Legal Entity under the Public

Law (LEPL)

National Food Agency

Head of the Agency

Veterinary Department

Food Department

Phytosanitary Department

Veterinary Department

Head of the Agency

Veterinary Department

Food Department

Phytosanitary Department

• Animal Health activities• Animal identification and registration • Registration and control of veterinary drugs • Animal movement control

National Food Agency

National Food Agency

Veterinary DepartmentFMDRabiesAnthrax

BrucellosisTuberculosis

Avian InfluenzaSheep and Goat PoxLumpy Skin DiseaseAfrican Swine Fever

Paste des Petits RuminantsCrimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever

Active Surveillance Projects Budget 4,500,000 euro

Deputy Head of the Agency (Chief Veterinary Officer)

Head of Veterinary Department

Deputy Head of Veterinary Department

Animal Especially Dangerous Infectious Diseases

Supervision Division

Animal Identification and

Registration Division

Veterinary Sanitary

Supervision Division

Veterinary Control Division

Veterinary Medicine

Registration Division

Veterinary Department

34 employee

Head of the Agency

Head of the Agency

Regional Management Department

Regional office

Veterinary Department

X 12

District representatives X 65

Freelancers

150 State veterinarian

600 Freelancer

Food Department

Head of the Agency

Veterinary Department

Food Department

Phytosanitary Department

• Monitoring of compliance with food safety regulations • Risk assessment, management and prevention • Issue of hygiene and veterinary medicine certificates • Control and tracking of business operators

Phytosanitary Department

Head of the Agency

Veterinary Department

Food Department

Phytosanitary Department

• Measures against harmful microorganisms• Registration of pesticides and agrochemicals • Phytosanitary monitoring and risk analysis • Issue and control of phytosanitary certificates

International collaboration 

 CBA-G

• Member of OIE (represented by delegate)

• Several projects with FAO

• Support from CDC on “One health” issues

• Strong support from EC – CIB project

• Strong support from US government through DTRA, USDA

CBA-G - what we implemented

• Baseline study

• Future vision of NFA

• Involvement of students

• Expertise support

• Transparency and team work

• Constructions and equipment

• Capacity development

  

CBA-G

Situation Analysis

• Interviews with each and every department regarding needs

• “Wish List” of materials, equipment and documents

• Exploring the country• Vet secondary education schools• Slaughterhouse management• Summer pasture monitoring

Future vision of NFA

• NFA Strategic Vision Document

• RQUEST• Analyse threat environment and NFA ability to respond effectively to crises• Baseline study, Risk Questionnaire, Risk Register Report

• Training course in crisis management• Full chain of commands was involved• NFA capability in crisis was accessed

Involvement of students

• Good collaboration with Agrarian university• Meetings with the Dean of Veterinary Faculty• Support elaboration of curriculums

• Scholarship program for students• Farming in Sweden and veterinary faculty in Estonia• In total 4 Students and 4 NFA employee were involved

• Conference ‘Qualified Specialist –Guarantee of Success’• Better understanding of future employment possibilities

Support on expertise

• CBA-G experts were members of NAHP steering committee• Team of experts chaired by first Deputy Minister of Agriculture

• Planning of Animal Health activities• Vaccination campaigns, environment (incinerators)

• Support on exotic disease outbreak• First outbreak of “unknown” disease - PPR

Transparency and team work

• Round table meetings with Department staff• Welcome of initiative for steady development of the Department• Language barrier (translation provided by Liaison Officer)• Gender equality

• Promotion of specialists• Calendar with pictures of best employees (regional and central)• Best ideas were rewarded with small gifts (camera etc.)

Transparency and team work

Rules are rules !!!

Constructions and equipment

• Based on “wish list” necessary equipment was provided• Animal catch poles• Electric fences• Mobile refrigerators• Tents and other on field equipment

Construction and equipment

• Regional officesBefore

Construction and equipment

• Regional officesAfter

Capacity development

• Standard Operating Procedures for employees• Support for development of SOP by each specialist of NFA

• Intranet• Secured web-page for storing, updating and sharing of SOPs and other

related documents intended for standardization of the employees’ work performance

Unfinished work (abended)

• Two new offices in poor mountainous area of Georgia

• Veterinary expertise on animal health and veterinary education

• Structural development of SOP-s

• Regional meetings

• Intranet

Further perspectives

• Introduce EU legislation in Georgia under DCFTA agreement

• Development of SOP-s under special department

• Develop long terms strategies for all state budgeted diseases

• We work that CIB project (EU) will undertake Intranet development

Thank you for your attention!

Village Ushguli 2200 m above the sea level – (highest permanently inhabited settlement in Europe)