Rural Communities Development Agency – RCDA with partner organization NNLE „Global Consulting and Development Center “(GCDC) has implemented the project “Good Hygiene and Safety Practice Training” within SQIL (Safety and Quality Investment In Livestock Georgia project in 7 municipalities of Kvemo Kartli Region (Bolnisi, Gardabani, Dmanisi, Tsalka, Tetritskharo, Rustavi, Marneuli) and Tbilisi in its due course having full involvement and good participation of local self-governance and mayor’s offices.
The food safety training course included general and special hygiene requirements for the primary production of Animal source foods (ASF), which also envisaged practical recommendations. The training was intended for business operators engaged in animal husbandry or operate in animal source food production and also for supplementary staff responsible staff caring for animal health, productivity and animal welfare.
The training course aimed at increasing awareness of above-mentioned groups with the requirements of the legislative regulation related to the primary production and cattle food safety, as well as the issues of labor safety, in particular:
- Requirements, rules and procedure related to registration of business operators;
- Requirements related to the primary production infrastructure, which is directly related to primary production and related operations;
- Observance of hygiene norms by the staff;
- Proper procedures of washing and disinfection;
- Proper management of waste and hazardous substances to avoid contamination of primary products;
- Milk hygiene, according to after-milking requirements;
- Storage / transportation and special hygiene requirements for raw milk;
- Proper use of veterinary drugs;
- Processing of documents and records related to the primary
- The importance of labor safety;
- Legislative bases of labor safety regulation in Georgia;
- Risk assessment and management
The developed training material (handouts) was in line with the additional supporting literature created by the SQIL project.
Beneficiaries had been mobilized in communities where livestock is the main focus of agriculture. The project beneficiaries were farmers who own 10-20 heads of cattle. It is known, that there is almost no organized production in Kvemo Kartli region and Tbilisi, therefore the implementation of such trainings has vitally important. It was planned to mobilize 300 farmers under the project, but due to the wider interest and relevance of the training topic, this number has increased up to 344.
