Partnership
Mediterranean Ancestral Bridge of the sheep supply chain
Principal Beneficiary (PB):
National Agronomic Institute of Tunisia – INAT (TN)
INAT is a public administrative body (EPCA); more specifically, an institute of higher education and agricultural research under Tunisian law.
The mission of INAT, a pioneer of engineering schools in Africa and the Arab world, consists in the training of engineers, masters, doctorates, and in the production and dissemination of knowledge with research bodies and technical and professional centres.
The themes at the centre of INAT’s mission concern nutrition, health, the prevention of health risks, environmental protection, sustainable management of natural resources and the development of territories.
Its main skills are: advanced training, fundamental research, applied research, innovation, entrepreneurship, expertise, management of human and material resources. These skills are used in the service of sustainable agricultural development, technological, economic and social progress and the protection of health and the environment.
Project Partner 1 (PP1:
University of Catania – UniCT. Department of Agriculture, Food and the Environment – Di3A (IT).
UniCT is a public law body pursuant to Article 24 of Directive 2014/24/EU of 26 February 2014 on the award of public contracts and which repeals Directive 2004/18 / EC (University).
The University of Catania is the oldest in Sicily and carries out teaching and research activities in the scientific and humanistic fields. The Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment (Di3A) carries out high quality scientific research with a high socio-economic impact and organises innovative study courses in the various sectors of agricultural production and environmental protection in the Mediterranean basin.
The researchers of the University of Catania involved in the JESMED project have more than twenty years of experience in assessing the quality of sheep carcasses and meat. At the University of Catania (Di3A) dietary strategies based on the use of alternative food resources in a context of sustainability in the Mediterranean environment have been studied.
Project Partner 2 (PP2):
General Directorate of Agricultural Production – DGPA (TN)
The DGPA is a national public administration, and more precisely a Directorate General of the Ministry of Agriculture and Hydraulic Resources and Fisheries of Tunisia.
The General Directorate of Agricultural Production is responsible for monitoring agricultural campaigns, promoting this sector and ensuring the introduction of new technologies related to production and the improvement of production and productivity.
The DGPA is responsible, in the context of the enhancement of local products, for the study, development, promotion of new organic crops; it also ensures the introduction of new techniques and participates in the dissemination and simplification of modern means and techniques and participates in the development of dissemination programmes.
Project Partner 3 (PP3):
Agricultural Development Group of Northern Sheep Breeders – GDAEBN (TN)
The GDAEBN is a non-profit organisation, precisely an Agricultural Development Group.
Its mission consists in the animation and support of the interests of its members, the animation and exchange of experiences, in the promotion of local sheep breeds, in the contribution to the re-qualification of the sector, in the establishment of services. to breeders.
Among its competences, technical and organisational supervision and the provision of services to member farmers and other formal and informal associations (identification of animals, mechanical shearing, genetic improvement, etc.).
Project Partner 4 (PP4):
Consortium for Research on the Dairy Supply Chain – CoRFiLaC (IT)
The Consortium for Research on the Dairy Supply Chain (CoRFiLaC) was established in 1996 with headquarters in Ragusa.
Project Partner 5 (PP5):
Local Action Group Eloro – Mixed Consortium Company with limited liability –LAG Eloro (IT)
The LAG Eloro is a public law body pursuant to Article 24 of Directive 2014/24/EU of 26 February 2014 on the award of public contracts, specifically, a non-profit public-private consortium with limited liability.
The LAG ELORO has been dealing with sustainable rural development since 1998, has participated in numerous cooperation activities and has distinguished itself in the design and management of integrated local development initiatives and sustainability interventions in rural areas. Its action is divided into two macro-sectors: one linked to the support of local economies (agriculture, agri-food, crafts, tourism, culture, social, environment, MSMEs, etc.), and the other, related to inter-territorial, interregional, cross-border and transnational cooperation.
The LAG Eloro pursues the objective of implementing all the necessary actions aimed at the integrated, sustainable and participatory development of the territories in which it operates; in particular: to bring public and private organisations out of isolation and stagnation; consolidate and / or create income and employment; develop endogenous resources; promoting links between local stakeholders and those of other Euro-Mediterranean regions; promoting synergies between EU initiative projects and local initiatives; promote cooperation for sustainable development.
Associate Partner 1 (PA1):
Inter-professional Group of Red Meat and Milk – GIVLait (TN)
GIVLait is a moral person of public economic interest, with legal personality and financial autonomy under the supervision of the Ministry of Agriculture, Hydraulic Resources and Fisheries.
GIVLait deals with the organisation of the red meat and milk supply chains and with the development of relationships between professions; the promotion of quality through pilot actions to promote the quality of meat and milk; the development of training programs for the standardisation, classification and categorisation of products; market regulation ensuring an advisory role for the import and export programs of animal products.
As part of GIVLait’s mission, aimed at improving the quality of animal products, a study was conducted in 2008 to encourage the opportunity to establish a quality label for the meat of lambs of the “Noir de Thibar” breed.
Associate Partner 2 (PA2):
Higher Institute of Applied Biological Sciences of Tunis – ISSBAT (TN)
ISSBAT is a Higher Education and Research Institute, which hosts various research structures operating in the field of biotechnology and environment.
. It has the skills and technical means to analyse the main organic and mineral constituents of major and minor foods. The ISSBAT team also has strong expertise in bio-processes based on lignolytic fungi, which improve the nutritional quality of sheep feed; that is, in the bio-conversion processes that allow the improvement of the nutritional quality of agricultural and agri-food by-products, and has the largest collection of lignolytic fungi isolated from Tunisian biotopes. The ISSBAT, in collaboration with INAT, has carried out a work that allowed the use of by-products for sheep feeding, some of which have been recognised by international publications.