His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Abu Dhabi Authority for Agriculture and Food Safety, has issued eight new legislative systems to regulate and manage operations and practices related to food and agricultural activities in both the plant and animal aspects of farms, singles and food establishments in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.
His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan stressed the state’s keenness to support the food and biosecurity system in accordance with the highest standards of food safety, explaining that the new regulations aim to enhance the legislative and regulatory role to develop the work system in the agricultural and food sector in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and to maximize the role of farmers and livestock breeders as a tributary My country is important and effective in establishing food and biosecurity.
His Highness pointed out that these systems will contribute to consolidating the concept of sustainable agricultural development, and ensuring the optimal use of agricultural natural resources and their sustainability for future generations, adding that the concept of sustainability is a general approach adopted by the Abu Dhabi government to build a diversified knowledge-based economy, and keep pace with the developments of the times in various fields.
Among the new regulations is the agricultural requirements system for Abu Dhabi farms, which includes general requirements that achieve double benefit for the farm owner, and the sustainability of natural resources sought by the Abu Dhabi government.
The new regulations also include the commercial plantation system, which is concerned with organizing and following up the implementation of sound agricultural practices in commercial vegetable farms, with the aim of improving the quality of local production, increasing the contribution of plant agricultural production to the food security system, ensuring the application of biosecurity requirements, and controlling plant pests and diseases.
The animal side received the great interest of the authority in terms of prevention and control of animal, epidemic and common diseases in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, through the issuance of a system in this regard, which acquires importance in light of the increase in epidemic and common diseases due to the increase in animal movement and ease of movement.
This system contributes to enhancing the effectiveness of biosecurity to prevent diseases and their causes, control infectious and epidemic diseases, and control common diseases.
The legislative regulations contain a system of services and programs to improve the income of farm owners and livestock breeders in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, with the aim of raising the efficiency of the support provided by the Abu Dhabi government to farm owners and singles, and the optimal use of programs and services offered by the authority to help farmers continue to pursue the profession of farmers, and to achieve rewarding economic returns , Which enhances agricultural sustainability and food security in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.
It also includes a system on food health during the stages of the food chain, which revolves around keeping pace with developments that occurred during this period, and ensuring tight control of the food chain, and strengthening the food safety system in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, as well as the system of food control imported to the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, which aims to reduce Burdens on food importers without prejudice to the food safety requirements of imported products, in addition to facilitating the flow of food products to markets, and encouraging domestic and foreign investment in the areas of food.
The initiative includes the system of small animal production units in farms and estates, which provides for the inclusion of licensing requirements for aquaculture activity "fish farming" with the setting of health requirements for red meat slaughterhouses and poultry slaughterhouses, to standardize control procedures in poultry slaughterhouses, and to control the monitoring of practices that may occur.
Finally, a system on the technical conditions for animal production facilities in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, which aims to organize the activities that are practiced in animal production facilities, and to enhance its commitment to health conditions and animal welfare requirements, and to increase the awareness of owners and workers in these facilities of the importance of following vital security requirements and their positive repercussions on the activities of the facility.
Mansour bin Zayed:
• “The new regulations establish the concept of sustainable agricultural development and ensure the optimum use of agricultural natural resources.”
The vision of the Abu Dhabi government
In accordance with the Law establishing the Abu Dhabi Authority for Agriculture and Food Safety No. 7 of 2019, legislative regulations have been developed and developed, so that the system is consistent with the vision of the Abu Dhabi government, and the endeavors of the Authority to enhance the sustainability of the agricultural sector, both plant and animal, and increase local production.