The Lebanese Ministry of Agriculture launched, on Monday, February 4, 2019, a new European Union funded Twinning project in cooperation with the French Ministry of Agriculture and Food and the Italian Ministry of Health on "Strengthening the capacities of the Lebanese Ministry of Agriculture’s in the Field of Veterinary Services and Food Safety".

The ceremony was held at the Lancaster Plaza Hotel, in the presence of the Director General of the Ministry of Agriculture, Eng. Louis LAHOUD, the Head of the Economy and Local Development Section at the European Union Delegation to Lebanon, Mr. Jose Luis VINUEZA, and the representative of the French CVO in charge for European and International Affairs, Dr. Charles MARTINS-FERREIRA.

The head of the Animal Resources Directorate at the Lebanese Ministry of Agriculture, Dr. Elias IBRAHIM, being the Lebanese Project Leader, participated to the launching ceremony along with the French Project Leader, Dr. Catherine DUPUY, and the Italian Junior Project Leader Dr. Nicola D’ALTERIO, representing the Italian Ministry of Health.

The Director General of the Ministry of Agriculture Louis LAHOUD stressed on the fact that the capacities of the Ministry should be enhanced in the fields of veterinary services and food safety in order to protect the health and safety of the Lebanese consumer and secure the health of animal resources and this through building the capacities of the ARD staff at the Ministry of Agriculture. Lahoud also said that this project is not the first cooperation between the Ministry and the European Union hoping for more future coordination and collaboration.

Mr. Jose Luis VINUEZA said that "Twinning between EU and Lebanon allows the exchange of expertise. The financial cooperation of the European Union in the area of agriculture in Lebanon has been steady and solid over the past years. This sector has an important socio-economic impact for the country and we want to encourage initiatives which restore confidence in it."

On behalf of the French Ministry of Agriculture and Food, Dr. Charles MARTINS-FERREIRA thanked the Twinning Team and its Lebanese, French and Italian members and congratulated the parties on this promising step in the Lebanese agriculture sector, stressing that this project would develop the animal production trade between Lebanon and the European Union.

The ceremony ended with a main recommendation to enhance coordination and dialogue between the main players in the food safety system in order to achieve better results.