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Croatian center for agriculture, food and rural affairs

Croatian center for agriculture, food and rural affairs consists of four institutes: Institute for Plant Protection, Institute of Enology and Viticulture, Institute for Seed and Seedlings and Institute of Pomology. Croatian center was founded on the 1st of July 2009. Its founder is Croatian government. Legal duties of the founder rest on the Ministry of Agriculture.

Center is governed by the Governing council of five members. Center is represented by the director.

Institute for Plant Protection

Institute for Plant Protection mission is protection of crops from harmful pests. Protection consists of:

  • Monitoring crops
  • Detecting harmful organisms and defining protection measures
  • Harmful organism diagnostics
  • Evaluation of papers needed for registering plant protection products and control of plant protection products
  • Scientific and professional support to the Ministry of Agriculture and other responsible administration in the area of plant health, diagnostics and the procedure of plant protection product registration

Institute for Plant Protection performs tasks according to the provisions of the Plant Health Act (Official Gazette 75/05, 25/09, 55/11), Act on sustainable use of pesticide (Official Gazette 14/14), Act on implementation of Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009 concerning the placing of plant protection products on the market (Official Gazette 80/13), Act on implementation of Regulation (EC) No 396/2005 on maximum residue levels of pesticides in or on food and feed of plant and animal origin (Official Gazette 80/13) and their supporting regulations. Institute performs scientific research and activities in the area of biotechnical sciences – plant protection:

  • monitoring of health of plants during vegetation season and plant products in stores in order to collect the data on appearance, intensity of infestation, population and distribution of organisms harmful to plants and plant products and keeping records about it;
  • monitoring and surveillance of the crops for seed production, fruit, vineyard and ornamental nurseries, issuing of plant passports, education of licensed plant owners on issuing of plant passports, education of phytosanitary inspectors about harmful organisms and market producers on plant health protection;
  • detection of quarantine and economic harmful organisms, reporting on their presence, appearance and spreading, risk assessment of harmful organisms, elaborating and giving proposals for prevention and control measures;
  • diagnostics of harmful organisms in plant samples, plant products, soil, water and other regulated objects in order to determine primary the presence of quarantine harmful organisms within surveys, as well as economically significant harmful organisms within reporting and forecasting activities. Analysis of inspector’s and producer’s samples in the diagnostics department: laboratory for bacteriology, laboratory for herbology, laboratory for mycology, laboratory for nematology, laboratory for virology and laboratory for zoology;
  • participation in preparation and implementation of reporting and forecasting activities and surveys;
  • organization and implementation of professional training of persons responsible for plant protection, phytosanitary inspectors, training of employees in agricultural pharmacies and users of plant protection products, education of the Croatian Agricultural Extension Service (HZPSS) employees;
  • evaluation of documentation in the area of efficacy, residues, ecotoxicology, faith and behavior, physical and chemical characteristics and operator exposure of plant protection products by uniform principles;
  • laboratory analyses of plant protection products on the market (post-registration control) according to the annual program of the Ministry of Agriculture and laboratory analyses of plant protection products delivered by inspectors, or by clients on personal requests;
  • definition and risk assessment of maximum allowable concentration of residues of plant protection products (in cooperation with the Croatian Food Agency),
  • scientific and professional support to the Competent authority in the area of plant health, diagnostics and the procedure of plant protection product registration.

Institute of Viticulture, Enology and Edible Oils Analysis

The Institute mission is testing the factors of grape, wine quality and other grape and wine products.

  • Issuing certificates on the quality of wines, other grape and wine products and fruit wines
  • Issuing sales certificates
  • Controlling production and sales quantities
  • Establishing and maintaining a database of wines produced in the EU
  • Scientific and professional support to the Ministry of Agriculture

Institute for Seed and Seedlings

Mission of the Institute for Seed and Seedlings is to ensure quality reproductive material for commercial plants.

  • Testing of new plant varieties for the needs of the variety list registration
  • Seeds and planting material certification of fodder, cereals, beet, vegetable, potato, oilseeds and yarn plants, fruit varieties and grapevine
  • Conservation of genetic resources of agricultural plants
  • Scientific and professional support to the Ministry of Agriculture

Institute for Seed and Seedlings was established in 1998 by Croatian Government as a national designated authority with the responsibility for variety registration and for seed and seedlings control and certification under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Agriculture.

First twelve years after the establishment Institute was independent institution in fulfilling its tasks and goals and from 2010 Institute became part of Croatian Centre for Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.

Based on the Act on Seed, Seedlings and Registration of Varieties, Plant Variety Protection Act, Food Act, Act on GMO and Act of Establishment of the Croatian Centre for Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Institute performs following tasks:

  • Testing of new plant varieties for the list of varieties. These tests include the testing of value for cultivation and use (VCU) and testing for distinctness, uniformity and stability (DUS). DUS tests on certain plant varieties can also be performed for the needs of plant varieties protection,
  • Certification of seed and seedlings for all species including cereals, fodder plants, oil and fiber species, beet, vegetables, potato, grasses, legumes, fruits and grapevine
  • Seed sampling and seed testing in order to issue ISTA Orange certificates, for certification purposes and for the needs of agricultural inspection testing, control and monitoring of GMO and of products containing and/or consisting of or originating from GMO in the seeds, planting propagation material, planting material of forest species and crosses for use in the forestry,
  • Supervision of authorized suppliers, authorized laboratories, authorized seed samplers and authorized maintainers of the varieties,
  • Preservation of plant genetic resources,
  • Verification of requirements for registration of suppliers, laboratories, seed samplers and maintainers of the varieties
  • Approving suppliers to perform the control under the official supervision.

Institute of Pomology

Institutes mission is to improve and upgrade pomology in Croatia.

  • Introduction of varieties/cultivars and fruit rootstocks
  • Establishment and maintenance of reference collection of varieties/cultivars and fruit rootstocks
  • Procedure implementation of clone selection
  • Scientific and professional support to the Ministry of Agriculture

The Institute of Pomology performs tasks according to the Law on Establishment of theCroatian Center for Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the Law on Seed, Plant Material and Agricultural Plant Varieties Registration. Institute of Pomology’s mission is testing, research work and improvement of fruit sector in Croatia.

Institute performs, among other activities, following tasks:

  • Establishment and maintenance of reference collection of fruit varieties and rootstocks on trial locations in Donja Zelina and Kaštel Štafilić
  • Introduction of new varieties and rootstocks of fruit crops in cooperation with leading breeding companies on trial locations in Donja Zelina and Kštel Štafilić
  • Establishment and maintenance of the National Gene Bank of Traditional Fruit Crops Cultivars through National Programme for Conservation and Sustainable Use of Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture in the Republic of Croatia
  • Registration of new varieties of fruit crops
  • Drafting of Recommended Fruit Crops Varieties List
  • Establishment and maintenance of mother block plantation for the production of reproductive plant material
  • Participation in implementation of control of producers of plant reproductive material
  • Applied research and introduction of new technologies related to all aspects of fruit production
  • Expert support to the Ministry of Agriculture

Contacts

Director’s office for the Croatian Center for Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs is in Svetošimunska cesta 25, Zagreb.

T: +385 1 4629 240
F: +385 1 4629 241
E: centar@hcphs.hr

Krunoslav Dugalić, PhD, Director
T: +385 1 4629 240
F: +385 1 6460 570
E: krunoslav.dugalic@hcphs.hr

Darka Hamel, PhD, Head of Director’s office
T: +385 1 2356 932
F: +385 1 4629 241
E: darka.hamel@hcphs.hr

Mara Loborec, dipl. oec., Assistant Director of the Centre
T: +385 1 4629 246
F: +385 1 6460 570
E: mara.loborec@hcphs.hr

Ružica Jurić, M.sc, Assistant Director of the Centre
T: +385 31 275 204
F: +385 31 275 208
E: ruzica.juric@hcphs.hr

Boris Puškar, PhD, Assistant Director of the Centre
T: +385 1 2356 933
F: +385 1 4629 241
E: boris.puskar@hcphs.hr

Institute for Plant Protection is based in Zagreb, in Gorice 68b address.

T: +385 1 2311 640
F: +385 1 2447 799
E: zb@hcphs.hr

Željko Budinšćak, PhD, Head of Institute for Plant Protection
T: +385 1 6430 807
F: +385 1 2447 799
E: zeljko.budinscak@hcphs.hr

Parts of Institute for Plant Protection are in Solin, Zvonimirova 14a, and Opuzen, Tisno bb.

T: +385 21 213 575
F: +385 21 213 561

Institute of Viticulture, Enology and Edible Oils Analysis address is Jandrićeva 42, Zagreb.

T: +385 1 4629 222
F: +385 1 4629 224
E: zvv@hcphs.hr

Robert Brkić, univ. spec, Head of Institute of Viticulture, Enology and Edible Oils Analysis.
T: +385 1 4629 210
F: +385 1 4629 224
E: robert.brkic@hcphs.hr

Institute for Seed and Seedlings is based in Osijek, Usorska 19, Brijest.

T: +385 31 275 200
F: +385 31 275 208
E: zsr@hcphs.hr

Goran Jukić, PhD, Head of Institute for Seed and Seedlings
T: +385 31 275 200
F: +385 31 275 208
E: goran.jukic@hcphs.hr

Institute of Pomology’s address is Gorice 68b, Zagreb. Part of their operations are in Zelina, Kaštela and Opuzen.

T: +385 1 4646 542
F: +385 1 4646 543
E: zzv@hcphs.hr

Predrag Vujević, PhD, Head of Intitute of Pomology
T: +385 1 4646 542
E: predrag.vujevic@hcphs.hr