Re: DAD-Net: Paper published - Capacity building in support of animal identification for recording and traceability

[Karma Nidup]

fyi

On Tue, Sep 13, 2011 at 10:25 PM, DAD-Net <DAD...@fao.org> wrote:

 

 

Capacity building in support of animal identification for recording and traceability: FAO’s multipurpose and global approach

I. Hoffmann, B. Besbes, D. Battaglia & H. Wagner

Animal Production and Health Division, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Rome, Italy*

In recent years, the main forces driving the development of traceability systems for animals and their products have been concerns about animal and human health. As a response, animal identification and traceability have been addressed by various international agreements and standards, such as the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures, the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) Terrestrial Animal Health Code and the Codex Alimentarius under the Joint Food Standards Programme of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO). Other organisations such as the International Committee for Animal Recording (ICAR) and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) also play a relevant role.

Animal identification is not only an essential component of traceability and disease control, it also serves multiple other purposes in a country’s livestock sector. The unique identification of animals is the basis for pedigree and performance recording, artificial insemination schemes, subsidy payment schemes, good farm management, prevention of animal rustling and trade certification, and contributes to securing access to markets for higher-quality and geographically identifiable products.

While the role of national competent authorities is fully recognised, the multipurpose implications of animal identification systems need to be considered and discussed with all relevant stakeholders, to increase their acceptance and the equitable distribution of the costs among all stakeholders.

Capacity building is needed to enable standards and schemes to be applied adequately; this is at the heart of FAO’s mandate. Taking account of the multipurpose nature of animal identification, FAO’s capacity-building activities rely on an integrated approach that involves all relevant partners and stakeholders. FAO provides support for relevant policy development, drafting of legislation and strategic planning, and technical assistance for the implementation of relevant Codex Alimentarius and OIE standards. FAO’s collaboration with ICAR on animal recording for smallholders in developing countries dates back to the 1990s. Decision-support guidelines for establishing sustainable animal identification and recording systems are currently being developed. FAO facilitates access to knowledge, information, training tools and services that are relevant to animal identification for traceability and performance recording. Effective capacity building requires alliances among organisations, based on a shared understanding of goals, coordination and acceptance of the complementary roles of the different players.

 

In Proceedings of the First OIE Global Conference on Identification and Traceability ‘From Farm to Fork’ (http://www.oie.int/for-the-media/editorials/detail/article/animal-identification-and-product-traceability-from-the-farm-to-the-fork-must-be-progressively-imple/)