December 13, 2021

MoU to support sustainable development of Colombia's swine industry

The Colombian Agricultural Institute (ICA), the National Institute for Drug and Food Surveillance (INVIMA) and the Danish Veterinary and Food Agency (DVFA) signed a new memorandum of understanding to continue cooperation between Colombia and Denmark in veterinary and food safety matters.

The partnership programme, which began in 2016, focused on capacity building for Colombia's swine industry, through technical assistance and scientific technical exchange in areas related to the inspection, surveillance and control system, pathogens, animal welfare, animal disease outbreaks, and risk prevention and communication, among others.

The objective of the MoU is to increase the competitiveness and sustainable development of Colombia's swine industry in order to offer better products to Colombians and access new international markets.

"This agreement is the basis for further exploring how agricultural and food operations can be run in a more efficient and climate-friendly manner by sharing knowledge, regulatory pressures, experiences, data and best practices relevant to climate and environmental challenges and aspects related to food safety and food security," said ICA's general manager, Deyanira Barrero León.

The previous agreements have strengthened control and inspection programmes throughout the chain, from farm to table, as well as increasing the competitiveness of the sector and setting a benchmark in technical, sanitary, biosecurity and antimicrobial resistance issues, among others.

The MoU will be valid for five years.

- ICA (Colombia)