Twinning project: “Strengthening of Israeli Veterinary Inspection Authorities for
Animal Health and Livestock production - Ministry of Agriculture and Rural
Development of Israel”, ( IS10/ENPAP/HE04), short activity summary
Background: European Union - Israel cooperation
The Twinning Project "Strengthening of Israeli Veterinary Inspection Authorities for
Animal Health and Livestock production - Ministry of Agriculture and Rural
Development of Israel (MARD)" is funded by the European Union through the
European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument (ENPI). The Institutional
beneficiary body is the Israeli Veterinary Services and Animal Health (IVSAH)
Direction.
The Twinning projects are a major tool under the ENPI for the realisation of
bilateral agreements in the framework of the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP).
The overall goal of ENP is to foster the political and economic reform process,
promote closer economic integration, legal and technical approximation and
sustainable development among the European Union's immediate neighbours,
including Israel.
The central element of the ENP is the bilateral ENP Action Plans agreed between
the EU and each partner. The EU-Israel ENP Action Plan (AP) was adopted on 11
April 2005. The introduction to the Action Plan states, inter alia, that its
implementation will help fulfil the provisions in the EU-Israel Association
Agreement that entered into force in 2000, build ties in new areas and encourage
and support Israel objectives for further integration into European economic and
social structures. It will also build solid foundations for further economic integration
based on the adoption and implementation of economic and trade related rules and
regulations with the potential to enhance trade, investment and growth.
Team and objectives of the Twinning project
Following the selection procedures, among several EU Member States shortlisted to
present their assistance to Israel, the Twinning project “Israeli Veterinary Inspection
Authorities for Animal Health and Livestock production”, (acronym SIVIA), was
assigned to the General Direction of Animal Health, in the Italian Ministry of Health
with the goal of guiding and supporting the Israel institutional counterpart, the
Veterinary Services and Animal Health Direction, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural
Development, throughout the project implementation period.
This project is funded by EU
The twinning project started with the arrival of Dr. Federigo G. Santini, the Resident
Twinning Adviser (RTA) in Israel on November 21st 2011 and will end on July, 21st
2013 for a total period of 20 months (the project has received an extended duration
of 2 months).
Dr Federigo G Santini (MS RTA) has received the mandate to implement and manage
the project’s components in Israel jointly with the Italian Project Leader (MS PL), Dr
Ms Gaetana Ferri, General Director of Animal Health of the Italian Ministry of Health
and with the Israeli Project Leader (BC PL) Dr. Boris Yakobson, and Dr. Michel
Bellaiche, the Israeli Resident Twinning Adviser (RTA) for the beneficiary country.
The project activity has been advised, strategically guided and monitored by a
Project Steering Committee (PSC), composed by official members of the Israeli
Ministry of the Foreign Affairs (PAO), of the Israeli Ministry of Agriculture and Rural
Development, of the Israeli Veterinary Service and Animal Health Direction (IVSAH),
of Israeli main Associations of animal feed producers and of Farmers’ main
Association (stakeholders), chaired by the Twinning Project Leaders and assisted by
the Officers of the EU Delegation to Israel all along the entire life of the project.
The SIVIA twinning project has received irreplaceable permanent support and clear
recommendations by the EU Delegation Officers of the twinning project area (Ms
Livia Stella and Mr Sebastien Lorion) and by EU Officers of other departments (Mr
Luigiandrea Pratolongo, Mr Dov Furman, Mr David Kriss).
The specific project tasks and objectives have been planned by the project Twinning
Management (PLs and RTAs) with the contribution and supervision of Dr Nadav
Galon, the Director of the IVSAH and implemented with the support of EU Member
State short term experts (STEs) working in close cooperation with their Israeli
counterparts.
A total of 18 STEs have highly contributed to the development of the project activity
in the 3 components, carrying out a number of 63 missions divided respectively, per
component, as following (31, 20, 12). Some STEs have provided a higher number of
missions in the more important project components and subcomponents, strongly
contributing to the achievement of the project objectives, namely Ms Dr Laura Contu
and Dr Pasquale Simonetti of the Italian Ministry of Health, Department of Animal
Health and Animal Feed and Dr Cristiano Longo of the Italian Institute IZSLER of
Brescia, the Twinning Mandate Body which is controlling the proper financial
management of the project
The project has been planned with a clear institutional capacity building purpose,
for assisting the IVSAH in a reform process started with the transfer of the Animal
This project is funded by EU
Feed Control department and competence from the Plan Protection Inspection
Service (PPIS) of the MARD to the IVSAH. As above underlined the project has
developed, in order to promote a closer economic integration between Israel and
the EU, a specific activity in the legal and technical strategic areas, based on the
approximation and adoption of the Acquis Communitaire. The on-going reform
process of the IVSAH, started in updating the whole system of the animal feed
control, is motivated by the strategic adoption of the so called “farm to fork” food
safety policy. The further steps of the IVSAH in this deep strategic reform, vis a’ vis
of the actual status of competences’ division among different ministries and local
administrations in the area of control of food of animal origin, will be surely
complex and long, for cultural and political reasons.
In respect of the project’ mentioned overall objective, the other activities have been
mainly performed through specific training programmes and preparation of
documents in favour of the Veterinary Inspection Authorities, of farmers and
livestock operators, in order to align the Israeli legal and technical provisions to the
European Regulations and Directives. All project scheduled benchmarks have been
fulfilled and additional activity and results have been added to the ones foreseen in
the working plan. In short summary the results achieved in the three project
components areas are the following:
Animal Feed:
Activities concluded are the followings:
- New animal feed Law, project contribution to improve the legal document in
several chapters. After having passed the evaluation of the first commission at the
Israeli Parliament, the feed law will continue the legal process and the publication
in the official Gazette and the entry into force of the law is expected during 2014.
(*)
- Preparation of an action plan for establishment of a new animal feed
department and control service within the IVSAH. Support to identify the skills
of the personnel to be hired by the IVSAH.
- Draft of animal feed second level of legislation in line or in approximation to the
EU Regulations and Directives.
- Preparation of procedures for the authorization and registration of feeding
plants.
- Design of a National Database for animal feed producers and information
system.
- Preparation of guidelines for feed rapid alert system (RASF, included in the
national Plan).
- Draft of Animal Feed National Surveillance Plan and monitoring system;
This project is funded by EU
-
Execution of training courses for IVSAH staff and inspectors on new legislation
and inspection/audit activity towards the animal feed manufacturers and
importers firms.
Contribution to the assessment of the capability of animal feed laboratory,
report.
Plan and develop an information campaign with specific brochures, pamphlets,
leaflets, dedicated to feed industries and farmers focusing the new legislation,
the registration needs and the new inspection/audit activity for the IVSAH.
Animal Health:
Activities concluded are the following:
- Report (assessment) on the management of animal health sector by the IVSAH,
of the relationships between the IVSAH and other MARD and Health Ministries
Department, recommendation on possible new design of the IVSAH organ-gram.
- Evaluation of the existing information systems in animal health sector,
recommendation to improve the current animal identification system,
monitoring and supervision of animal disease epidemiology and information
system; proposal for an IT animal health strategy.
- Creation of a working group on zoonosis control and prevention between the
IVSAH and the Ministries of Health and Environment in order to increase the
collaboration for the actions against the transmissible pathogens from animals
to man and vice-versa.
- Preparation of nr 4 animal husbandry manuals for the management of dairy,
poultry, fishery and pig farms, composed by 2 specific parts, one dedicated to
the farmers and the second one to the activity of the veterinary Inspectors
(check lists), with reference to the legislation in force in Israel
- Planning and development of nr 3 training courses on epidemiology, risk
analysis and decision makers issues dedicated to the IVSAH personnel and other
authorized professionals from the Veterinary Faculty.
- Presentation and discussion of the animal husbandry manuals to the IVSAH and
sectors’ stakeholders.
Preparation, in working group managed by the Twinning BC PL Dr Boris
Yakobson and composed by BC colleagues and the MS STE Dr Pasquale Simonetti,
of the BSE dossier sent to OIE for the final classification of Israel, among the 3
classes of risk, as negligible risk. The BSE dossier composed by more than 400
pages, tabs, figures, etc, etc was not included in the project activity. (*)
- Support for the necessary creation of the Pig department inside the IVSAH. The
relative poor specific interest towards this animal species due to cultural and
religious traditions of people living in Israel was not justified by the important
production and consumption of food, mainly meat and derivate, originating by
that species. The new department has the duty to implement any necessary
This project is funded by EU
measures to control the pig farms in the country in order to avoid both the spread
of animal diseases dangerous for other animal species and the possible impact of
food borne diseases on consumers. (*)
Animal Welfare:
Activities concluded are the following:
- Assessment of the application of current legislation in the different industries;
evaluation of gap with the Acquis Communitaires.
- Drafting of guidelines on animal welfare on the basis of the gap.
- Definition and development of a specific project plan focusing on animal welfare
and transport of animals (small ruminants the main target).
- Preparation and development of training program for the producers and for the
IVSAH Inspectors;
- Development and launch of an information campaign on animal welfare
supported by specific brochures, pamphlets, leaflets, addressed to farmers,
translated also in Arabian language.
In addition to the described project results it should be also reported the successful
conduct of nr 2 study visits to Italy (July 2012 and May 2013) whereas the Israeli
colleagues (including the IVSAH Director) had the possibility to meet the Italian
colleagues, to visit the Veterinary National Head Quarter in Rome, the Regional
Services of Lazio and Lombardia, the local Veterinary Units of Rome, Grosseto,
Brescia, the Veterinary Institutes of Rome, Teramo and Brescia, the Border
Inspection Post for Feed Control at Ravenna Port, several Feed producers
establishments in Lombardia Region, livestock farms for Bovines, Dairy and Meat,
and fisheries in Tuscany region, poultry and pig farms & slaughterhouses in
Lombardy Region. The study tour included meetings and discussion on the different
organization of the veterinary services and the different responsibilities, more
oriented for Italy, as EU Member State, to the entire production chain of food of
animal origin, in respect of the policy “from farm to fork”.
(*) All activities above written in Italics have been performed in addition to the ones
foreseen in twinning project working plan.
This project is funded by EU