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Agriculture plays a key role in the economic and social life of Armenia. In 2018, about 37% of Armenia’s population lived in rural areas, and 1/3 of the total labor force was employed in agriculture. There were around 230-250,000 households living in villages. Approximately one-third of the county’s total labor force was employed in agriculture.
Animal identification and registration is the base of any future system for food safety, animal health, and animal breeding. For this reason, there is a growing demand for the identification of livestock and livestock products, from origin to consumption. Animal identification and animal traceability are tools for addressing animal health (including zoonosis), food safety, and animal breeding issues. These tools can significantly improve the effectiveness of activities such as the management of disease outbreaks and food safety incidents, vaccination programs, animal husbandry, zoning or compartmentalization, surveillance, early response, and notification systems. They can also improve animal movement control, inspection, certification, fair practices in trade and utilization of veterinary drugs, feed, and pesticides at the farm, traceability of animals and products of animal origin, animal welfare, and productivity.
All the above-mentioned factors will have a significant impact on economic development by creating new trade opportunities, as well as improving the quality of production, animal productivity, and export of livestock products, farm incomes and consumer health nationwide.
CARD with funding of Austrian Development Agency has formulated a project which aims to support the RA Government to establish a functional and sustainable animal identification and registration system based on the needs and requirements of the project stakeholders. The proposed AIR project will enable producers to produce more and safer products and to access international markets. It will prevent unsafe food movement, ensuring quick and accurate handling of emergencies. It will enable public and private agencies to access animal movement data and better monitor health and breeding activities.
The overarching long-term impact of the proposed project is։ Improved animal health, food safety, higher productivity, trade and farm income.
To achieve this impact, the project entails the following outcome:
Countrywide animal identification and registration (AIR) system established and functioning.
The following four outputs are expected to be achieved as a result of the project implementation:
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.
The AIR project will expand its outreach compared with HAI&R project and its interventions is carried out in ten Marzes of Armenia: (Ararat, Armavir, Kotayk, Aragatsotn, Shirak, Lori, Tavush, Gegharkunik, Vayots Dzor, Syunik). To implement the activities and expand the project impact nationwide, involvement of the stakeholders is essential.
Direct beneficiaries: a) the RA MoE; b) the RA Centre of the Agricultural Services State Non-Commercial Organization (SNCO); c) MoE AIR department; d) the RA Food Safety Inspectorate; e) the RA Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure; f) the Armenian National Agrarian University g) livestock markets and animal origin food producers; h) slaughterhouses; i) livestock farmers/ the Pedigree Animal Breeders Association; j) veterinarians/the National Association of Veterinarians; k) Farm and Veterinary Service Centers (FVSCs); l) the ANI PAS software development and maintenance team.
Indirect beneficiaries include, but are not limited to: a) other republican executive bodies, including the RA Ministry of Health (MoH) and the RA National Statistical Service; b) agribusinesses, including animal origin food processors, traders; and c) consumers, consumer protection unions.
