The Legal Framework of Livestock Farming — Veterinary Requirements
Georgia has no separate statute on livestock farming: the sector is governed entirely by the veterinary requirements established in the Code on Food Safety, Veterinary and Plant Protection. Veterinary requirements are those prescribed to secure the protection of the life and health of animals and humans, to maintain veterinary reliability in the country, to localise and eliminate outbreaks when diseases emerge, to determine and assess the epizootic situation, to prevent animal diseases, to control products of animal origin and to safeguard animal welfare.
The Code unpacks these aims into concrete veterinary requirements: protecting the territory of the country from the intrusion, introduction and spread of agents of contagious diseases; achieving or maintaining veterinary reliability; protecting the population from zoonotic diseases; ensuring the health and welfare of animals, including companion animals; carrying out diagnostic, preventive and liquidation measures against animal diseases; certifying animals and products of animal origin; controlling such products; identifying and registering animals; and ensuring that veterinary preparations conform to the requirements of Georgian legislation.
Operator Obligations in Breeding and Handling Animals
A business operator engaged in the breeding, driving, transport, sale or slaughter of animals must carry out measures against contagious diseases — preventive and liquidation measures, including vaccination, diagnostic examinations and treatment. Slaughter carried out with the aim of placing the resulting product of animal origin on the market must take place under veterinary supervision. The operator must also follow the instructions of the Agency, cooperate with the competent authorities, ensure the welfare of animals including companion animals, and conduct driving, transport and sale according to the rules established by Georgian legislation.
The duty to inform deserves particular attention: the Agency must be notified immediately of cases of contagious diseases and of mass poisoning of animals. The movement of an infected or diseased animal, or of an animal suspected of being infected or diseased, is prohibited. These obligations extend to family production subjects as well, so a small household farm operates under the same veterinary standards as a large enterprise.
Products of Animal Origin and Veterinary Preparations
An operator producing, processing or distributing products of animal origin must ensure that the products pose no risk to the health or life of humans or animals, must follow the Agency's instructions on anti-epizootic, preventive and liquidation measures, and must move and place products on the market according to the established rules. In the production and distribution of veterinary preparations, a preparation intended for sale must be registered according to the rules established by Georgian legislation, and the requirements related to quality, safety and sale must be observed.
Where the operator has a justified suspicion that a veterinary preparation it has produced, imported or placed on the market is unregistered, falsified, expired or unfit for use, or that its labelling rules have been breached, the operator must immediately — until the matter is clarified — prevent the preparation from being placed on the market or withdraw it. Where such a suspicion is held by the Agency, the operator acts according to the Agency's instruction, and in all these cases the operator must immediately notify the Agency in writing of the measures taken. Operators carrying out other veterinary activities operate under requirements established by the Government.
Veterinary Activity as a Regulated Profession
The Code declares veterinary activity a regulated profession. The regulated professions are veterinarian and veterinary technician. This means that the authority to intervene veterinary-wise on an animal is tied to professional qualification: when organising a livestock business, it matters that services are obtained precisely from persons holding the regulated profession, which simplifies both the welfare of the animal and the consistent entry of the product onto the market.
Identification, Registration and Liability
Breaches of the rules on the identification and registration of animals, and on the registration of their holdings or temporary holdings, trigger administrative fines. Failure to comply with an instruction issued by an authorised person of the Agency entails a fine of 100 lari for an operator with small business status or a family production subject, and 500 lari for any other business operator. Moving an animal without the corresponding document is treated more severely: an operator with small business status or a family production subject is fined 500 lari, while any other business operator is fined 1 000 lari. Each range is defined separately and follows from the type of the breach.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a separate livestock law exist?
No, livestock farming is regulated through the veterinary requirements of the Code on food safety, veterinary and plant protection.
Who may practise veterinary activity?
Veterinary activity is declared a regulated profession by law, and within that category the law names the veterinarian and the veterinary technician.
What fines threaten a breacher of identification rules?
For failure to comply with an instruction, an operator with small business status or a family production subject pays 100 lari and any other operator 500 lari.
What happens when an animal is moved without documents?
Such movement entails a fine of 500 lari for an operator with small business status or a family production subject and 1 000 lari for any other business operator.
Do these obligations cover family production?
Yes, the breeding obligations extend to family production subjects, as does the duty to follow the Agency's epizootic instructions concerning products of animal origin.
How We Help on Legal.ge
A livestock business rests on the entire complex of veterinary requirements — from prophylaxis to identification and fines. We help you interpret the requirements correctly, structure your dealings with the Agency and assess liability where a breach has occurred. We will map out the compliance steps so that your farm operates lawfully and without unnecessary expense. Contact us on Legal.ge.