Medellín, December 10^th 2009. Fulfilling an important accomplishment for cattle farming in Antioquia Department, the Colombian Agriculture and Livestock Institute ICA, certified 22 plots in cattle farming good practices in bovine, swine meat and milk production, as well as 8 plots of sheep farms free of brucellosis and 13 poultry farms as biosafe.
 

From this entire select group, eight plots from the Department got the certification in cattle farming good practices in meat production from the Institute, after levels of fulfillment were proven in sanitary and food safety conditions in primary production food safety in meat cattle. This accomplishment allows the farms to guarantee beef with high sanitary, quality and food safety standards.
 

ICA general manager, Luis Fernando Caicedo Lince, called cattle farmers from Antioquia to continue integrating to the process of implementation of GCP, and at the same time pointed out that “certification is an acknowledgement to producers’ commitment to adopt sanitary measures that guarantee quality and food safety of meat as food generated in this stage of primary production”.
 

Likewise, seven plots were certified in cattle farming good practices in swine production, when accomplishing sanitary conditions in swine production, improving health and food safety exploitations of this type of meat for human consumption.
 

The same way, the Institute certified seven plots after fulfilling health and food safety of milk primary production. These herds were certified as free of diseases like bovine brucellosis and tuberculosis as well as considerably advancing in health and quality of all processes that allow obtaining milk with high quality and food safety standards in this way notably improving the products price.
 

Sheep farming association from Santuario was also praised by its contribution to animal health when accomplishing eight sheep plots certified as free of brucellosis.
 

On the other hand, 13 poultry farms were certified as biosafe when adequately implemented biosafety measures that aim to maintain national poultry health.

 

These farms will have bigger opportunities to commercialize their poultry products in national and international markets, besides contributing in poultry population protection from diseases as avian influenza, salmonellosis and Newcastle.

 

With primary production good practices implementation, ICA looks for producers to be more competitive and to decrease production costs in meat, eggs and the rest of products of livestock origin. Likewise, it pretends to mitigate harmful effects that livestock exploitation could generate to environment.

 

Each one of the certifications was given in the health forum of Colombian agribussines held in the past days in Medellín that aimed to socialize project execution in phyto and zoo sanitary policies in ICA Antioquia.

 

 

 

 

Sheep plots free of brucellosis are located in Santuario municipalities and are: Los Pompos, El Mirador, Las Brisas, Chiripazo, Campo Alegre, Corazón de Jesús, Villa Mi Laydi and Faquira.
 

Poultry farms certified as biosafe are: Agroindustrias Lucitania, Avícola Nacional, Inversiones Cardona Rios y Compañía, Clara Lucia Ruíz Tobon, Avícola Veneciana, Ricardo Gaviria, Idecampo, Avícola Cacaraca, Diego Velasquez, Aves Emaus Ltda, Productos Avícolas de Oriente, Empresa Arordrigo EU, Alimentos Fiko.