Photo: FAO/Zinyange Auntony

The Frank Benton International Beekeeping Association, which unites 12 beekeeping farms, has joined the National Animal Identification-Registration and Traceability System (NAITS) of Georgia. The association signed a memorandum of understanding with the National Food Agency of Georgia which authorizes the Association to access the system and manage the identification and registration of beehives on behalf of their members.

The Association will use the NAITS to ensure appropriate and timely data entry in line with the Georgian legislations (Governmental Degree #505). The access to the NAITS will also enable the association to generate system-based certificates which identify the Association members and beehives and can serve as evidence for their professionalism in discussion with development support providers, financial institutions and government entities.

It is the first instance that a farmer association has taken the responsibility to partner up with the NFA, in order to meet the legislative requirements, as from January 2023, the registration of beekeeping farms also became mandatory. In particular, the legislation requires identification and registration for movement, buying and selling of bee families, or marketing of bee products. Besides being an important factor for improving the food safety in the country, registration of beekeeping farms is also a step forward in the export of the queen bees from Georgia.

"The identification of beehives and their registration in NAITS is also a prerequisite for improvement of the bee health and the traceability of bee products. We should mention the high interest and need for active participation of beekeepers' associations in this process, which can offer the identification and registration service to their members and ultimately can facilitate the food safety control from farm to table - this is beneficial for both the country and the beekeepers. The cooperation between the state and the private sector will contribute to the food safety on the local market and increase the export," said the NAITS project manager Mikheil Sokhadze.

„The private sector’s involvement in the process of identification and registration is another step forward that will help the traceability of the bee products, increase the competitiveness among the beekeepers and their export potential”, - said Vasil Basiladze, deputy head of the National Food Agency.

"Registration in NAITS will help apiaries and queen bee breeding facilities involved in the system to produce planned and predictable quality and amount of bee products and queen bees. It will facilitate the veterinary control of beehives in accordance with international requirements. These factors are critically important not only for the production domestically, but also for our foreign partners,” said Zviad Loria, the founder of The Frak Benton International Beekeeping Association the head of the union of the beekeeping farms.

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The NAITS is managed by the National Food Agency of Georgia (NFA) with technical support from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), and the financial support from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and the Austrian Development Cooperation (ADC). The NAITS database keeps information on mandatorily identifiable animals, on their holdings and keepers, as well as on animal health-related activities.