March 1, 2018 at the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia the 30th meeting of National Animal Health Program (NAHP) Steering Group took place. The aim of the meeting was to receive information regarding the mandate of MEPA related to NAHP and consider OIE, PVS tool and monitoring of NAHP. The meeting was chaired by the First Deputy Minister of MEPA -Nodar Kereselidze.
At the meeting special attention was paid to the agenda item “OIE, PVS Tool, Feasibility of Monitoring NAHP and Proposal for Task Force”, which was presented by Dr. Debby Reynolds (CSU) and Lasha Avaliani (NFA). Lasha Avaliani also introduced to SG members Georgia’s FMD Risk-based Strategic Plan which will be circulated for comments among SG members by SG Coordinator.
The representatives of NFA, LMA, NCDC, made brief updates regarding current activities and future plans.
The representatives of Alliances Caucasus Programme, CARD and Shida Kartli VRA attended the meeting as the observers.
The meeting was conducted with simultaneous translation. Representatives of US Department of Agriculture (USDA), Colorado State University (CSU), Georgian Rural Development Department of the Georgian Institute of Public Affairs (GRDD of GIPA), the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Georgian Farmers Association (GFA), Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA), Austrian Development Agency (ADA), Swiss Cooperation Office in Georgia (SCO) and were able to discuss animal health related problems and ways to solve them through the round table principle.
