Activity 1. Setting of the common implementation team, as scheduled Each partner appointed members of the implementation team, as following: Lead Partner - University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine in Iasi - 7 people. Partner 1 – Cattle Breeders’ Association in Iasi - 2 people. Partner 2 - State Agrarian University of Moldova - 5 people. Partner 3 - Odessa State Agrarian University - 5 people. The task of the cross-border team is to ensure the implementation of the project according to the scheduled activities and events. Each person received a job description. Depending on the circumstances of each partner, the team members concluded new labor contracts or additional documents to the existing individual labor agreements.
Activity 2. Establishment of three monitoring centers for qualitative and quantitative monitoring of cattle production, in the three partner countries The onset of laboratories for quality and safety evaluation of milk and beef at the University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Iasi (UASVM), at the Odessa State Agrarian University (OSAU) and at the Agrarian State University of Moldova in Chisinau (ASUM) brings new modern and specialized devices and equipment for chemical, physical, microbiological food analysis, including IT infrastructure. In order to accommodate the laboratory, UASVM had to build an attic on the roof of an existing building within the same parameter with the farm used for practical training of the students in Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, in Rediu village, 6 km North of its headquarters. The spaces to host the laboratories in OSAU and ASUM have been renovated and endowed with newly procured equipments. The centers will function as training bases for bachelor, master and PhD students in the three universities and as analytical laboratories designed for cattle farmers / processors who wish to test their products quality and safety. The Romanian laboratory will accede to the RENAR (Romanian Accreditation Association) procedure and the laboratories in Kishinev and Odessa will function harmonizing the existing standards of product quality to comply with actual and future EU regulations in view of the future accession of the two countries to the European Union.
Activity 3. Carrying out a crossborder study concerning the cattle farms in the three partner countries The aim of the study was an international assessment of the current situation in the region related to the herd sizes, type of farming technology and farms profile depending on the region. Partners have created a research protocol that determines the content and subject of research, data to be collected and the method of collection and detailed responsibilities of each partner in research. The coordination of research, compilation and publication of final results were done by the Lead partner - The University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine in Iasi.
Activity 4. Designing and common implementation in the three centers of a software for monitoring cattle productions quality, as wee as for facilitate data exchange The activity was designed to create the common software - tool necessary for assessing and data basing the quality of milk and meat in the three regions. The software developed by the three partners is a simple and user-friendly interface and installed in all three monitoring centers. Ukrainian and Moldovan partners have the right to use it. The software is designed for efficient data management of selected activities directed to the official control of production (COP) and controlled reproduction of livestock, especially through artificial insemination. The program has maximum flexibility in registering - logging the animals, the quality and quantity of production, the possibility of adding new databases, through simple identification of animals during sample data or through creation of new databases to assess the phenotypic and genetic parameters, issuance of certificates of origin files and databases to create a registry of genetic sires, data storage in other national databases, data security etc. These actions are extremely useful for genetic selection and improvement of animal populations and productions.
Activity 5. Building of two pilot farms for quantitative and qualitative assessments, in Romania and Republic of Moldova This activity consisted in building from the ground two farms - housing and service infrastructure, purchasing and installing of equipment and procurement of animals. The task of the farms was to develop sustainable technological solutions in rearing cattle. The choosing of free movement maintaining system of the cows in enclosed barns with access to outer paddocks but meanwhile protected against adverse environmental factors positively affects the revenue and ensure farming conditions in accordance with EU welfare and sustainability requirements. Farms will also operate as research centers to assess the quality and quantity of production. They provide practical support for the development of modern technology and simultaneously serve as good practices model for cattle farmers in the region. Farms will also provide experimental data to the Ukrainian partner, which will use them to develop activities to assess the quality of food.
Activity 6. Carrying out a training/informing/dissemination campaign for the interested beneficiaries The project carried out a set of three training activities (two days per event, one in Iasi, one in Kishinev, one in Odessa), informing on modern and environmentally friendly technologies in cattle breeding by organizing classes in all partners for 20 cattle farmers from each country (national activities). Also, a series of three rotational workshops (one day per event, one in Iasi, one in Kishinev, one in Odessa) were carried on, involving 80 de members of the target group (farmers, dairy and beef processors, academic staff, students, field authorities – 60 attendants from the host country and 10 participants from each partner country invited to facilitate the know-how exchange. Two more events have to be organized by the end of the project - study trips for 45 cattle farmers/food processors/authorities representatives (15 from each partner country) in Romania and Moldova, to visit the newly built cattle farms. Supplemental actions have been carried on and deliverable items have been also produced: Good practice manuals for cattle farming printed and distributed freely in two linguistic versions (Romanian / Ukrainian); internet portal containing information for the target group.
Activity 7. Project promotion and advertising The purpose of this activity is to ensure the awareness of the project actions, of its results and of the European Union financial contribution. As parts of the action, there were organized/published or have to be organized: - media events held at the beginning and end of the project. Opening press conference was held by each of the three partners to ensure the media coverage of the project in each of the three partner countries. For each event were representatives of the print and broadcast media. The opening conferences have been attended by one representative from the partner countries; - promotion – publicity materials printed and spread within the project (leaflets, brochures, stickers, roll-ups, temporary and permanent panels for the newly built or endowed investments); - participation of project coordinators in each country in TV and radios broadcasts; - press releases issued on each event of the project, which resulted in written articles, on newspapers or in web pages of main press trusts.
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