The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in cooperation with the Croatian Agriculture and Food Agency organized a study visit for representatives of Georgian State Institutions in April 2024. The visit was planned within the scope of the Project for National Animal Identification and Traceability System (NAITS) and Livestock Farmer Management System (LFMS), the core electronic systems for livestock development covering mandatorily identifiable animals, their keepers, health and production-related details. 

The Georgian delegation, consisting of representatives from FAO, the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia and the Scientific-Research Center of Agriculture (SRCA) gained firsthand insights into the innerworking of Croatia's livestock production-related institutions. Experts from the Animal Husbandry Center of Croatian Agency for Agriculture and Food (HAPIH) elaborated on the efforts for national breed improvement and the results in terms of productivity, commercialization and competitivness. Detailed information on livestock data collection and processing and animal selection, as well as state support systems was provided, enriching the understanding of EU-like approaches in the livestock sector. Participants also visited HAPIH's laboratory of DNA Analysis in animal husbandry and looked into molecular analysis on tissue samples for parentage and breed determination, procedures for collecting samples within the national network of gene banks.

Meetings were also held at the HAPIH's Center for Food Safety and the Faculty of Agro-Biosciences and the Holstein Breeding Association to discuss the role and importance of the later in the implementation of breeding program, under state supervision.

The study visit was concluded with a tour through the HAPIH Central Laboratory for Milk Quality Control and the Laboratory for Animal Feed and Honey Quality Control. The milk quality control system and its links to the state support and breeding systems were presented, elaborating on the achieved high standards of milk quality and safety, considering that 97 percent of the milk produced in Croatia is first quality class.

It's notable that the members of the newly established Division on Livestock within the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia also participated in the study visit. Their attendance signifies an opportunity to leverage the accumulated expirience and knowledge to their forthcoming endeavors for enhancement  of the livestock sector. This includes development of legislative frameworks for improvement of livestock productivity, creating conducive envoronment for producers and the SRCA and continous EU approximation.