On February 16, 2022, the Center for Agribusiness & Rural Development (CARD), and partners marked the official launch of the new “Establishment of a Functional Animal Identification and Registration (AIR) System in Armenia” Project, funded by the Austrian Development Agency, in support of the “Cattle Identification and Registration in Armenia” national project, which had been approved by the RA Government on June 11, 2020, by decision N-954-L and will be financed from the state budget. The event was attended by Mr. Klaus Kapper, Head of the ADA Yerevan Office, RA Deputy Minister of Economy Mr. Tigran Gabrielyan, Head of SNCO CAS Mr. Garnik Hovhannisyan, and Deputy Head of FSI Mr. Narek Hayrapetyan, CARD Foundation members, and stakeholders. Klaus Kapper, Head of the Austrian Development Agency Office for Yerevan, Tigran Gabrielyan, RA Deputy Minister of Economy, and other representatives of the meeting delivered opening remarks at the kick-off event. Mr. Klaus Kapper valued the active cooperation between Armenia and the Austrian Development Agency since 2011 and expressed confidence that the two countries can achieve great results through the exchange of experience. Attaching importance to project implementation Mr. Gabrielyan said that since the independence of RA, no widespread identification and registration of animals has been carried out in the republic, while the establishment of the system is a strategic priority not only for the RA but for the region as well. Accurate information about the total number of livestock and setting up control over the movement of animals is the key factor in ensuring the traceability of animal origin food, and this can only be achieved through identification and registration. The project’s Chief of Party Nazeli Grigoryan presented the work and events planned for the project, which include experience exchange visits, workshops with the participation of the foreign specialists, training courses for veterinarians, farmers, and state employees The project will last for 42 months and will be implemented in all marzes of Armenia.
