1.

Activity (as per ToR 22):

Activity 2.4.3 Assess the State Institutions Need for Capacity Strengthening and Provide Related
Capacity Building Support

Activity 2.4.4 On Demand Basis, Provide Continuous Capacity Building Support

Name of the Expert: VIKTORAS ZABOLOTNAS

Dates: 26 Feb 2020 - 11 Mar 2020

Location: MoESD, GAC (Tbilisi, Georgia)

Recommendations

As the first step, the MoESD would like to establish a dedicated task force, where representatives of
regulatory authorities, innovation agency, manufacturers, research institutions, standardisation,
metrology, and accreditation would be present.

Secondly, an in-depth analysis of current conformity assessment bodies capacities should be done and
gaps against EN harmonised standards and directives/regulations (where applicable directly) identified
in order investment needs to be estimated.

In the short-term, priorities in several sectors e.g. construction, toys, electrical and electronics identified
considering investment estimates and equipment availability.

In the medium-term, annual research on other sectors should be considered and implemented under
supervision of the MoESD.

Co-operation of GeoSTM and Georgian Technical University should be strengthened and targeted R&D
and innovation projects should be launched specifically in areas needed by Georgian industry.

Make use of the Twinning project in accreditation to carry out joint assessments by Georgian and
competent EU MS assessors and use the findings to develop action plans and investment estimates for
potential notified bodies.

Arrangements on mechanisms considered as regards participation of representatives of Georgian NBs in

the activities of relevant technical committees established under Directives or Regulations, where
applicable.

Strengthen market surveillance in terms of human and financial resources along with its improved
visibility in public.

Discuss with bigger manufacturers and SMEs an option to allocate 4-5% of any loan or investment for
development of quality infrastructure, including translation of standards, provision of test and
calibration equipment to third-party bodies to optimise a network of high-quality laboratories.
2. Mission Report

Activity (as per ToR 36): SUPPORT TO MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AND AGRICULTURE
AND NATIONAL FOOD AGENCY (NFA) IN LEGAL APPROXIMATION (PERMITTED SUBSTANCES IN THE
AQUACULTURE SECTOR) – TOR N. 36.

Name of the Expert: Gianluigi Negroni

Dates: August – September 2020

Location: home based

List of meetings (institutions and persons met): first inception meeting, two days training and final
workshop with NFA (National Food Agency and MEPA (Ministry of Environmental Protection and
Agriculture).
Person meets:

1. Zurab Zurashvili

2. Otar Parkadze

3. Tengiz Chaligava

4. Tornike Khargaladze

5. Lena Ninidze

6. Davit Goderdzishvili

7. Giorgi Aladashvili

8. David Koguashvili (TL)

9. Gvantsa Pukhashvili (Legislative expert)

10. Kathia Shamugia (Project coordinator)

A specific meeting was done with the consultant, the Team Leader and the EU responsible for
aquaculture Mr. Georges de Houx for this mission and future implementation of the sector with a
twinning and ENPARD projects.

Aim of the mission: providing the requested information on residues and contaminants about the EU
food safety package for the legislative approximation of the aquaculture sector

Reccommendations
After several on line meetings, written questions and on line studies, the consultant has a clear idea
about the needs of the Georgian Institutional (Competent Authority/NFA-MEPA) and not institutional
sector. A visit in Georgia and direct meeting with the beneficiaries will confirm the following
recommendations:
- to follow the legislative recommendation for the approximation of the food safety aquaculture
framework, it is considered important to adapt the EU food safety package to the risks of the Georgian
aquaculture situation and to its development. Actually the Georgian aquaculture is still at small scale
and probably will develop at more industrial scale. The legislative framework and related regulation will
follow these changes. It is important to have detailed practical regulation to apply in the field the main
food safety package legislation and resources to apply it.
- At Competent Authority level a detailed Aquaculture Book of Procedures must be drafted with the
participation of all stakeholders and approved, the book will be transparent, detailing all the aquaculture
value chain, based on risk. The Book will shown all the needed best practices procedures for the
aquaculture sub sector. It will include the aquaculture farm approval procedures and the list of
periodical control to be done in the farm by the inspector. An approved fish farm checklist will be
annexed to the book of procedures.
- The CA must have an appropriate structures and specific yearly budget to execute all the inspection
and sampling presented in the Book of Procedures.
- The inspectors must be well trained and periodically trained (yearly) to be updated to the last risks and
new technologies. Inspector must have an efficient technical kit to perform their task (checklist and
analysis sampling)
- National and international laboratories, international accredited, will be nominated for the
contaminant, residues and pathological analysis (also microbiological)
- Book of procedure, inspection and sampling must be practically performed according the best practices
(See Codex Alimentarius)
- A more deep work with the not institutional stakeholders must be done to let them participate to the
work at national level and to have more safe aquaculture products.
- All must be risk based along the aquaculture value chain
- Possibility to study about biological aquaculture and Geographical Indication aquaculture to value add
the Georgian products.
- Official approval of the aquaculture value chain operators

3. Short-term expert providing assistance in animal feeding stuff legislation

Activity (as per ToR 35):

SUPPORT TO MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AND AGRICULTURE AND NATIONAL FOOD

AGENCY (NFA) IN PREPARATION OF AN IMPLEMENTING STRATEGIC DOCUMENT FOR THE FOOD SAFETY
COMPONENT OF THE AGRICULTURAL AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY OF GEORGIA (ARDSG) AND
THE RELATED ACTION PLAN AS WELL AS IN LEGAL APPROXIMATION (ANIMAL FEEDING STUFF
LEGISLATION)
Name of the Expert: Hrvoje Ivan Horvat

Dates: May 11, 2020 – July 11, 2020

Location: Due to COVID 19 crisis the Assignment was implemented exclusively through the online
Recommendations

In order to continue with Feed legislation development and thus, establishment of more functional Food
safety system in Georgia it is recommended to undertake additional steps and efforts in approximation
processes and adjusting the national laws and regulations. It can be advised to prioritize the efforts on
below mentioned EU regulations:

1. Commission Regulation (EC) no. Regulation (EC) No 767/2009 of the European Parliament and of the
Council of 13 July 2009 on the placing on the market and use of animal feed; - Commission Regulation
(EU) no. 568/2010 of 29 June 2010 amending Annex III. Regulation (EC) no. Regulation (EC) No 767/2009
of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards a ban on the placing on the market or use for
animal nutrition of protein products derived from yeasts of the genus Candida grown on n-alkanes;

 basic Regulation related to the labeling of animal feed, in particular feed and compound feed

 defines the names of individual animal feeds

 the responsibility of the entity for placing and declaring feed

 declaring feed through the general and specific part

 use of the Feed Catalog instead of Annex V and feed categories

2. Commission Regulation (EU) no. 68/2013 of 16 January 2013 on the Feed Catalog - Commission
Regulation (EU) 2017/1017 of 15 June 2017 amending Regulation (EU) no. 68/2013 on the Feed Catalog;

 the labeling of animal feed

 deciding whether an object needs to be registered or approved

3. Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council (EC) no. Regulation (EC) No 1831/2003 of
22 September 2003 concerning additives in feedingstuffs;

 basic regulation for the labeling of feed additives and premixtures

 the general procedure for approving feed additives

 application of the Register of feed additives

  division of allowances by categories and functional groups

 general and special provisions in the labeling of additives and premixtures

4. Regulation (EU) 2019/4 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2018 on
the production, placing on the market and use of medicated feed, amending Regulation (EC)
no. 183/2005 of the European Parliament and of the Council and repealing Council Directive 90/167 /
EEC

              It will enter into force in 2022, Council Directive 90/167 / EEC is in force

5. Commission Regulation (EC) No 152/2009 of 27 January 2009 on the sampling plan and methods of
analysis for the official control of feedingstuffs; - Commission Regulation (EU) no. 51/2013 of 16 January
2013 amending Regulation (EC) no. 152/2009 on analytical methods for the determination of ingredients
of animal origin for the official control of feedingstuffs;

 prescribes the manner of sampling and sample formation

 mode of operation in the laboratory

 analytical methods for controls

6. Directive 2002/32 / EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 7 May 2002 on undesirable
substances in animal feed

 prescribes maximum levels for undesirable substances

 determines the matrices for analysis

 they are applied in the self-control of the subject

 parameters in the Animal Feed Monitoring Plan

               

7. Regulation no. Regulation (EC) No 999/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 May
2001 laying down provisions for the prevention, control and eradication of certain transmissible
spongiform encephalopathies; amendments to the Regulation:

- Commission  Regulation (EC) No  56/2013 of 16 January 2013 amending Annexes I and IV to  Regulation
(EC) No 999/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council laying down provisions for
the  prevention, control and eradication of certain transmissible spongiform  encephalopathies.

- Commission Regulation (EU) 2017/893 of 24 May 2017 amending Annexes I and IV  Regulation  (EC)
no.  999/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council and Annexes X, XIV.  and
XV.  Commission  Regulation  (EU) no.  142/2011 as regards the provisions on processed animal  protein;
  regulation in the field of animal health protection

 prescribes a ban and derogation from the feeding of ruminants with proteins of animal
origin

 prescribes additional labeling of animal feed in relation to the protein content of animal
origin

 prescribes authorization and special authorization with regard to the production,

storage or use of animal feed containing proteins of animal origin

8. Regulation (EC) No Regulation (EC) No 1069/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21
October 2009 laying down health rules concerning animal by-products and derived products not
intended for human consumption and repealing Regulation (EC) No 1260/1999 1774/2002;

9. Commission Regulation (EU) no. 142/2011 of 25 February 2011 on the implementation of Regulation

(EC) no. 1069/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council laying down health rules for animal
by-products and products derived therefrom which are not intended for human consumption and
implementing Council Directive 97/78 / EC as regards certain samples and items that are exempt from
veterinary checks at the border on the basis of this Directive;

 regulations in the field of animal by-products

 prescribes the categories of animal by-products

                           - category 3 (1069/2009) is used

- Annex X (142/2011) refers to feed

 facilities approved under these regulations for the production of animal feed (PAP or pet
food) must be registered under Regulation 183/2005

 the labeling of these products is in accordance with Regulation 767/2009

 parameters of Salmonella spp  . and Enterobacteriaceae  are used in animal feed

monitoring (BARF raw pet food and dog chews)

communication means

4, Mission Report

Short-term expert providing assistance on pesticides and all plant protection products legislation
Activity (as per ToR 37):

SUPPORT TO MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AND AGRICULTURE AND NATIONAL FOOD

AGENCY (NFA) IN LEGAL APPROXIMATION (PESTICIDES AND ALL PLANT PROTECTION PRODUCTS
LEGISLATION)

Name of the Expert: Tatjana MASTEN MILEK

Duration: July - September 2020

Location: Due to COVID 19 crisis the Assignment was implemented exclusively through the online
communication means (Tbilisi, Georgia – Samobor, Croatia)

Recommendations

In order to continue with PPPs legislation development and thus, establishment of more functional
Food safety system in Georgia it is recommended to undertake additional steps and efforts in
approximation processes and adjusting the national laws and regulations. It can be advised to
prioritize the efforts on below mentioned EU regulations:

1. Directive 2009/128/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 October 2009 establishing
a framework for Community action to achieve the sustainable use of pesticides (SUD)

 minimizing hazards and risks to health and the environment stemming from the use of
pesticides;

 improving controls on the use and distribution of pesticides;

 reducing the levels of harmful active substances used, in particular by substituting the most
dangerous with safer alternatives;

 encouraging low-input or pesticide-free cultivation;

 establishing a transparent system for reporting and monitoring the progress made in achieving
the objectives of the Strategy.

Approximation key elements is the implementation of actions defined by the SUD:

 the implementation of Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

 the promotion of alternative approaches or techniques to reduce dependency on pesticides

 requirements for PPPs application equipment

 training of advisors, sellers and users,

  National Action Plans (NAPs)

 Information and awareness-raising

5 Mission Report

Activity (as per ToR): Toy Safety training

Name of the Expert: Richard Sargeant

Dates: 5th and 6th October 2020

Location: Online

List of meetings (institutions and persons met): Online training sessions on 5 th and 6th October 2020

Aim of the mission: To deliver trainings to support implementation of the Multiannual Market
Surveillance Action Plan by enhancing knowledge and expertise of the Georgian Technical and
Construction Supervision Agency (TCSA) inspectors and other staff members in the field of Technical
regulation (TBT) thus ensuring efficient implementation of the newly adopted legislation. The
assignment includes training activity on the New Approach Directives to Toy Safety and as per Annex

Background

Following the recent EU Twinning project in Georgia (completed Dec 2019), the TCSA have reorganized
with a Market Surveillance Agency being created and now responsible for Toy Safety enforcement. The
training is to support the development of new officers to the TCSA who are relatively inexperienced in
Toy Safety.

Mission findings/observations

Expert delivered presentations at webinar over 2 days and answered questions posed by the audience
to key toy safety concerns. The inspectors had a good understanding of the legislation and needed to
receive practical guidance on enforcement of the relatively new legislation. Practical examples were
discussed and approaches to be considered by inpsectors when engaging with businesses.

Recommendations

1. For the Market Surveillance Agency to continue to invest in training and development of inspectors to
ensure market surveillance in Georgia is efficient and competent.