The project focused on the development of a system for breeding beef cattle in Bosnia and Herzegovina is based on the Support for Agricultural Production initiative approved by Government Resolution No. 413 from 13 June 2012 for foreign development aid in 2013 and the medium-term outlook for its funding until 2015. The project is also in line with the primary objective of the programme for development aid with Bosnia and Herzegovina for 2011-2017 in the agriculture sector, which aims to increase the production and quality of cattle raising through both institutional support and support for small and medium-sized farmers. As such, the project responds to the needs for development defined by government strategies emphasising the importance of support for livestock production aimed at cattle breeding.

There is currently no system in place anywhere in Bosnia and Herzegovina for breeding beef cattle. In this sense, legislation dealing with animal husbandry is very basic, and work on new laws is currently in a different stage of development in each individual entity.  In general, although it can be said that each entity is at a different initial stage, the project has a uniform objective for both entities divided into two levels.

The first objective is ‘to strengthen and harmonise the legislative framework related to animal husbandry in Bosnia and Herzegovina and to bring it in line with EU standards’. This established objective will be accomplished primarily through the training of ministry employees and supervisory bodies, by means of consultations, monitoring and support for legislation and control mechanisms.

The second objective is ‘to establish and develop breeding centres, build capacity and strengthen the efficiency of individual actors in the field of breeding and raising cattle in Bosnia and Herzegovina’. This objective will be met by building the capacity of all key actors, primarily livestock farmers and reprocentre employees, and by establishing and starting up breeding centres.

Therefore, the project is primarily composed of services comprising institutional, methodological and technical support for the development of beef cattle breeding and building the capacity of all relevant actors in this part of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republic of Srpska.

The successful implementation of the project should contribute to its broad objective – to introduce standard breeding methods for purebred beef cattle in Bosnia and Herzegovina and to increase the level of food self-sufficiency in beef production.