The Updated National Animal Identification and Traceability System (NAITS), which records information regarding large and small ruminants and their keepers all around the country, is now fully operational.

The animal identification and registration program has been accessible in Georgia since 2012. However, from 2015, with the co-founded financial endeavor of the Swiss Development Agency (SDC) and Austrian Development Cooperation (ADC), the FAO has re-designed and developed the new Animal-Identification and Traceability System – the NAITS. 

This recently-released program saves veterinarians’ time and efforts, as it gives the opportunity to record all data collected on household levels directly into an electronic database instead of paper forms. In addition, the program serves as an important part of the food safety chain puzzle, as the former guarantees traceability of animal and animal origin products in a prompt and timely manner. 

The updated system was piloted in the Kakheti region in 2019. Simultaneously, 600 veterinarians were trained in the necessary skills to effectively use the system by the National Food Safety (NFA). Currently, 588 veterinarians work with the system, managing up to a million registered animals.

To support veterinarians’ needs, the FAO has organized a help desk to aid users with any technical difficulties. The system updates on a daily basis and consists of not only an identification and registration module, but also modules for laboratories and border and abattoir controls.   

FAO NAITS project manager Mikheil Sokhadze states that the implementation of the system is an opportunity for Georgia to strengthen export capacities with the European Union.  

“NAITS uses and includes the best field and theoretical practices of the EU and EU candidate countries. Experts from France, the UK and Switzerland –as well as professionals from countries that have a comparable background to Georgia, such as North Macedonia and the Baltic states – have been involved in the development process of the program. These affords have paid off, and today the system is fully in line with EU standards,” says Sokhadze. 

Georgia is the first country in the region that has implemented the program. The NAITS system is part of the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA) agreement and will be bestowed to the NFA at the end of 2021.