The final conference of the project “Reinforcement of animal health and welfare” was held in Belgrade and the results achieved during the three and half years of the were presented. The conference was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management, Veterinary Directorate, The Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Serbia, as well as representatives of veterinary services, veterinary inspectors and veterinary institutes.
“This project is multifold significant, considering that it dealt with different spheres, both in the area of welfare and in the area of animal health, and as such it aims not only at the sustainability of animal husbandry, higher quality agricultural production, but also at the development of the agri-food industry and the economy in the whole”, said Dusanka Golubovic, State Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management.
The project provided technical support to the Veterinary Directorate in improving national standards that contribute to animal health and welfare, public health and food safety, and harmonization of legislation with the legal provisions of the European Union in the field of animal health.
“The food sector in Serbia knows why food safety, animal health and welfare are so important, and Serbia is a significant exporter of food to the EU and other international markets”, said Sakelaris Hourdas, Head of Operation 3 in the Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Serbia. He reminded that last year Serbia broke the record in the export to the European Union. “The value of Serbia’s export of food to the EU was almost 700 million euro higher than the imports”, said Hourdas.
During the duration of the project, amendments to the Animal Welfare Act were prepared in order to harmonize the national legislation with the legislation of the European Union.
Through best practice guides, a first draft strategy on animal welfare during transport and on farms was prepared with the aim of encouraging farmers to enforce animal welfare standards. One part of the project is dedicated to the dog population management and the first draft strategy on dog population management was prepared, which provides practical examples and suggestions for the implementation of the strategy in local communities.
Project Team Leader, Petras Maciulskis, said that National strategy of Animal health has been prepared which includes standards that contribute to animal health and welfare, improving public health, food safety and environmental protection, as well as sustainable agriculture.
“We have prepared recommendations for improving the management of veterinary services, as well as drafts of legal acts that are closer to the EU standards. We hope that our work has helped Serbia in preparation to fulfill its obligations for EU membership in the areas of animal health and welfare and food safety”, he said.
Key expert for animal welfare Antonio Di Nardo spoke about that topic. The importance of animal welfare to modern society is growing day by day, Serbia is well on its way to complying with the EU legislation on this topic, now is the time to raise awareness of the importance of the treatment of animals that are raised for human consumption. This will have a great impact on the expansion of trade opportunities with the countries of the European Union”, said Di Nardo.
Speaking about the management of free-roaming dog population, Di Nardo pointed out that the most important action is responsible ownership- identifying and vaccinating dogs and preventing owner’s dogs from roaming unsupervised.
The project „Reinforcement Animal health and welfare “supports the Veterinary Directorate of the Ministry of the Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management in harmonizing national legislation with the European Union and international standards in the field of animal health and welfare and biosecurity.