Basic info

The Ministry performs state administration within the scope of its remit, including specialised state supervision in the areas of agriculture and rural development and it directs, guides and inspects the performance of state supervision in the following areas in particular:

• protection and use of agricultural land and forest land,
• the functions of state administration in forestry and hunting,
• land consolidation, the fulfilment of restitution claims and the settlement of land ownership,
• the functions of state administration of irrigation systems, drainage systems, monitoring the quality of irrigation water, issuing the Agricultural Code of Conduct, providing for the drafting and checking of fulfilment of the Agricultural Activity Programme in areas declared vulnerable.
• plant varieties, animal breeds, plant health care and veterinary care including veterinary protection of state territory and control of the import and export of animals, animal and plant products, veterinary medicines, feed and plant protection products,
• official control of foodstuffs and animal feed and control of the quality of agricultural, food and tobacco products,
• technical control of agricultural and food machinery and equipment,
• aquaculture,
• commodity exchanges,
• provision of support in agriculture and rural development,
• issuing permits for the production of alcohol, its processing in distilleries and its marketing,
• the licensing of the production of tobacco products,
• the issuing of certification of authorisation to operate a public warehouse, approval of the business terms and conditions of a public warehouse, the keeping of a central register of storage accounts, the performance of control of public warehouses and the registration of goods receipts,
• other matters pursuant to applicable legislation.

PRINCIPAL FUNCTIONS OF THE MINISTRY

The Ministry, as a central state administration body acting in cooperation with other ministries and central state administration bodies, performs the following functions:

• determining rules and bearing responsibility for the development and implementation of state policy on agriculture and forestry,
• developing, within the area of agriculture and rural development, a standard policy on agriculture, food, forestry, wood processing, hunting, aquaculture in the area of aquaculture and performing specific cross-sectional and sectoral functions,
• participating in the preparation of the overall strategy for the long-term development of society and the development of foreign policy, nutrition policy, state economic policy, in particular policy on finance, budgets, raw materials, pay and social conditions, privatisation, tariffs and foreign trade and policy on regional and structural development, rural development and environmental policy as it affects agriculture and rural development,
• providing centralised marketing and promotional support for agricultural products and foodstuffs and promotion of agriculture at foreign and domestic exhibitions,
• performing the function of a competent authority, managing authority and financial management authority for the European Agricultural Fund and the managing authority for the European Fisheries Fund,
• Providing for the activity of the National infection control committee,
• representing the Slovak Republic in bodies of the European Union within its area of competence and providing for the performance, within its area of competence, of functions which the Slovak Republic has as a result of its membership of the European Union.
• representing the Slovak Republic in international government organisations and performing, within its area of competence, the functions of a government coordinator resulting from membership of such organisations; cooperating with other international government and non-government organisations within its area of competence,
• participating in the preparation of government and ministerial international treaties and agreements (establishing multilateral and bilateral cooperation) and providing for the performance of functions arising from such treaties and agreements,
• providing for the function of the Committee for Cooperation of the Slovak Republic with the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) and other organisations in which the Slovak Republic is represented.
• participating in the preparation and implementation of international cooperation by the ministry’s bodies and organisations,  
• acting as the contact point between the Slovak Republic and the European Food Safety Authority,
• cooperation in the development of Slovak technical standards,
• providing for the development, updating and issuing of state maps on forestry.
• participating in the provision of continuing education for specialist employees in the state administration and organisations under the ministry’s management in the areas of agriculture and rural development,
• cooperating in the implementation of economic policy and social policy instruments under the competence of other central state administration bodies where such instruments have impact in the Ministry’s area of responsibility (for example, foreign trade instruments, tariff and non-tariff measures, healthy diet programmes, collective bargaining, social security),
• obtaining and evaluating the information necessary for the performance of tasks related to the condition and development of the sectors for which the Ministry is responsible, preparing analyses and forecasts based on this information and making proposals to the competent bodies of the Slovak Republic for further development and for the elimination of adverse situations and crises,
• participating in the preparation of a comprehensive strategy for the use of agricultural and forestry biomass in power generation and participating in policy development in this area,
• representing the Slovak Republic in judicial proceedings within the scope of competence established by applicable legislation,
• implementing the process for management of public funds,
• performing, within the Ministry’s area of competence, the functions of managing authorities, national bodies and the payment unit for operational programmes and rural development programmes, the single programming document and initiatives of the European Union under which financing is provided from the structural funds of the European Union,
• performing the function of the Codex Alimentarius Contact Point,
• providing for communication with the European Commission regarding the labelling of Traditional Specialities Guaranteed. 

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