The Veterinary Department of the National Food Agency of Georgia and FAO Georgia organized a meeting with professionals in the field of beekeeping. The parties discussed the identification and registration of bees and the export of queen bees. Together with the organizers, representatives of the Scientific Research Center of Agriculture, the Georgian Beekeepers Union, the Georgian  Beekeepers Association, the F. Benton International Beekeeping Association, and independent experts participated in the meeting.

The parties discussed the changes that have been made in the field of beekeeping over the last decade, the progress, and the challenges. They also discussed the export of queen bees from Georgia, in which the identification and registration of bee families will play an important role. The representatives of NAITS (National Animal Identification, Registration and Traceability System) introduced the possibilities and advantages of using the NAITS digital platform in Georgia. 

The second phase of the National Animal Identification and Registration System (NAITS II) kicked off in Georgia in 2022. It is implemented by the National Food Agency of Georgia with the technical support of FAO and the financial support of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and the Austrian Development Cooperation (ADC).

The NAITS electronic system collects information about domestic animals (including bees) that are required to be identified by law, alongside information about their whereabouts, manipulations carried out on them, and owners/responsible persons throughout Georgia. 

“The opportunity to produce and export Caucasian bee queens is one of the biggest challenges facing Georgian beekeeping,” said Demna Khelaia, head of the veterinary department. “The meeting focused on the main prerequisites vital for the export of queen bees. The countries that import queen bees, as in the import of Georgian honey, require Georgia to have a reliable environment in terms of controlling biological and chemical threats related to beekeeping, in order to exclude the spread of bee diseases and pests via export.”

“NAITS II - the second phase of the project - is now active. At this stage, our main goal is to introduce the importance and possibilities of the digital platform of the National Traceability System to representatives of various fields,” said Mikheil Sokhadze, NAITS project manager. “The initiators of this meeting were representatives of the private sector who are well aware that the identification and registration of animals and the traceability of products of animal origin are important not only at the national level, but also play a decisive role in the search for export and international partners.”

Along with identification-registration and traceability issues, the parties also discussed challenges and future opportunities, such as the improvement of the material-technical base necessary for beekeeping practices and production, introduction of modern farm (in this case, beehive) management technology, and development/implementation of a selection strategy, ensuring the complete traceability of queen bees and bee products, and as a step also towards solving the issue of conservation of the Caucasian bee as a rich and authentic biodiversity resource for Georgia.

The parties agreed that in order to resolve the raised issues, they will regularly hold meetings, which will be coordinated by the National Food Agency with the technical support of FAO.