Focus on developing livestock farming towards food safety

(Baonghean.vn) - On the afternoon of September 16, the People's Committee of Nghe An province held a meeting to evaluate the implementation of the Livestock Competitiveness and Food Safety Project (LIFSAP).

Comrade Dinh Viet Hong - Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee chaired the meeting. Also attending were representatives of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Department of Planning and Investment, Finance and related departments and branches.

The Livestock Competitiveness and Provincial Food Safety Project (LIFSAP) has been implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in Nghe An since 2010, with the goal of enhancing the competitiveness of livestock households through improving productivity, quality, food safety and minimizing environmental pollution in the livestock product chain towards clean livestock farming from farm to table.

Comrade Dinh Viet Hong - Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee emphasized: The LIFSAP project implemented in the province in recent times has achieved remarkable results in building a competitive livestock and food safety model, bringing benefits to the community.

After 5 years of implementing the LIFSAP project, up to now, Nghe An has established 4 good livestock practice areas (GAHP), with 10 GAHP points, 30 groups including 599 participating households. The project has invested in equipment, goods and knowledge training for livestock households, food businesses, authorities at all levels, agricultural extension staff, veterinary staff, etc.

Support for upgrading 4 centralized slaughterhouses in: Nam Nghia (Nam Dan), Hop Thanh (Yen Thanh), Luc Lam Nghi Dong (Nghi Loc) and Dien Tho (Dien Chau). At the same time, support for upgrading 16 small slaughterhouses. In addition, the project also renovated, upgraded and handed over 41 fresh food markets for use.

In the first 8 months of 2016 alone, the project continued to survey and select communes and members to replicate 18 new GAHP points. Supported and guided GAHP communes to establish VietGAHP livestock cooperatives/cooperatives. Surveyed 3 slaughterhouses that met the conditions to support the improvement of veterinary hygiene and environmental conditions, to be implemented in 2016. Invested in upgrading 14 food markets, upgrading cattle and buffalo trading markets (U - Do Luong market).

Mr. Vi Luu Binh - Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development reported on the implementation of the LIPSAP project in recent times.

In general, the LIFSAP project has created a competitive model in the livestock industry for livestock households in the province, neighboring provinces, and Laos to visit, learn, and raise awareness and change people's behavior. Ensure the implementation and maintenance of the clean meat value chain in the project.

However, during the project implementation, there were many difficulties, specifically: The allocated IDA loan capital was not enough to meet the operational needs, the project was implemented in a large area, so it was difficult to urge and inspect; because the practice of raising, slaughtering and trading fresh food was still spontaneous, changing the awareness and behavior of households raising and trading livestock and businesses required a whole process and synchronous coordination between sectors...

Clean livestock farming is a trend that is strongly supported by people in Nghe An.

At the meeting, delegates contributed ideas to clarify the effectiveness of the project in planning good livestock farming areas, how the slaughterhouse has improved environmental issues, proposed to add detailed appendices on 11 districts in the GAHP area, districts with slaughterhouses... At the same time, proposed solutions to replicate the GAHP livestock farming model in the coming time.

Overview of the working session

Concluding the meeting, Mr. Dinh Viet Hong - Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee emphasized: The LIFSAP project implemented in the province in recent times has achieved remarkable results in building a competitive livestock and food safety model, bringing benefits to the community. However, the project management board's proactive advice to the Steering Committee and the project's propaganda work are still limited.

Comrade Dinh Viet Hong requested that the Project Management Board should absorb the opinions at the meeting to supplement and complete the project report; assign the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development to coordinate with the office to soon make a decision to complete the Project Management Board. In the coming time, the Project Management Board will coordinate with the Department of Finance to advise the Province to arrange counterpart funds according to the project progress; request members of the Steering Committee and the Project Management Board to conduct inspections of some project sites that have been invested and implemented in the past.

Dinh Nguyet