Establishment of a functional Animal Identification and Registration (AIR) system in Armenia



Contract partner: CARD - Center for Agribusiness and Rural Development Country: Armenien Funding amount: € 1.555.000,00 Project start: 01.12.2021 End: 31.05.2025

Short Description:

Overall goal


The project's intended impact is: Improved animal health, food safety, higher productivity, trade and farm income.

The expected outcome of the project is: Countrywide animal identification and registration (AIR) system established and functioning.


Expected results


1. Improved regulatory framework in the field of AIR and effective application of that framework

2. Improved infrastructure to facilitate the establishment of a user-friendly/practical/simple and sustainable AIR system

3. Strengthened technical and organizational capacities of state officials, veterinarians and livestock farmers on AIR, food safety, farm management, animal pedigree breeding, environmental protection and animal welfare/protection

4. Enhanced benefits for women to become aware of their economic, labor and human rights

 


Target group / Beneficiaries


The project's direct beneficiaries will be an estimated 700 individuals including representatives of: the Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Armenia which includes the AIR Department; the Centre of Agricultural Services State Non-Commercial Organization; the Food Safety Inspectorate; the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure of the Republic of Armenia; the Armenian National Agrarian University (ANAU); live-stock markets and animal origin food producers; slaughterhouses; livestock farmers / the Pedigree Animal Breeders Association; veterinarians / the National Veterinary Association; Farm and Veterinary Service Centers; the Animal Passport (ANI PAS) software development and maintenance team.

Indirect beneficiaries include, but are not limited to representatives of other republican executive bodies, including the Ministry of Health and the National Statistical Service, agribusinesses, including animal origin food processors, traders, and consumers, consumer protection unions.


Activities


Assessment and adaptation of the current legislation on animal identification and registration; preparation of suggestions for legislative amendments; development or adaptation of standard operational procedures for animal identification and registration; setting up a steering committee to ensure the nationwide implementation of the AIR system, to provide the mechanisms to govern the system, and to avoid duplication of functions; awareness raising about animal identification and registration for the stakeholders (representatives of local self-governing bodies, livestock farmers, veterinarians, etc.);

Setting up an operation support and task management system for animal identification and registration and a country-wide AIR monitoring system; facilitating the ANI PAS system upgrade or the introduction of extensions to the system (e.g. a mobile application for veterinarians);

Training of potential users in animal identification and registration (e.g. tagging of animals), application of standard operational procedures and the operation support and task management system; trainings for livestock farmers in areas such as food safety, animal husbandry, farm management, animal breeding, animal welfare, environmental protection; up to 20 demonstration/capacity development measures at livestock farms; creating linkages with ANAU and developing capacities of teaching staff and students on the AIR system and internships for students;

Gender analysis; outreach to increase women’s participation and engagement in project interventions; trainings for women in leadership and capacity development in women empowerment and gender equality.


Context


The agricultural sector in Armenia has a huge development potential and is one of the priorities for the Armenian Government. Given the growing domestic demand for animal products and increased opportunities for exporting animal products, the Government, and particularly the Ministry of Economy, took the initiative to develop and introduce the Animal Identification and Registration system to be implemented nationwide in Armenia, i.e. to invest in developing the infrastructures, improving the genetic potential of animals, controlling infectious and parasitic diseases, developing systems to track animals and their products, developing capacity for adopting new technologies and systems, as well as creating favourable conditions for the activities of economic entities in the agricultural sector, in accordance with international norms and standards.

project number 8352-00/2021
source of funding OEZA
sector Landwirtschaft
tied
modality Project-type interventions
marker Environment: 1, Climate change mitigation: 1, Gender: 1, Democracy: 1
  • Policy marker: are used to identify, assess and facilitate the monitoring of activities in support of policy objectives concerning gender equality, aid to environment, participatory development/good governance, trade development and reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health. Activities targeting the objectives of the Rio Conventions include the identification of biodiversity, climate change mitigation, climate change adaptation, and desertification.
    • 1= policy is a significant objective of the activity
    • 2= policy is the principal objective of the activity
  • Donor/ source of funding: The ADA is not only implementing projects and programmes of the Austrian Development Cooperation , but also projects funded from other sources and donors such as
    • AKF - Foreign Disaster Fund of the Austrian federal government
    • BMLFUW - Federal Ministry for Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water
    • EU - Funds of the European Commission
    • Others - various other donors are listed in ADA’s annual business report.
  • Type of Aid – Aid modalities: classifies transfers from the donor to the first recipient of funds such as budget support, core contributions and pooled programmes and funds to CSOs and multilateral organisations, project-type interventions, experts and other technical assistance, scholarships and student costs in donor countries, debt relief, administrative costs and other in-donor expenditures.
  • Purpose/ sector code: classifies the specific area of the recipient’s economic or social structure, funded by a bilateral contribution.
  • Tied/Untied: Untied aid is defined as loans and grants whose proceeds are fully and freely available to finance procurement from all OECD countries and substantially all developing countries. Transactions are considered tied unless the donor has, at the time of the aid offer, clearly specified a range of countries eligible for procurement which meets the tests for “untied” aid.