Croatia

The portfolio of the MP includes drafting legislation in the area of agricultural policy, especially in the area of food and feed safety, quality and hygiene, animal health and welfare, and plant health. MP designates official and reference laboratories to analyse food and feed and to safeguard animal health and welfare as well as plant health. The MP is responsible for informing the public if there are reasonable grounds to suspect that food or feed may represent a risk to human or animal health.

In cooperation with the MP, MZ is responsible for drafting legislation in the area of food safety, covering food of non-animal origin. MZ defines objectives and priorities for public health policy, develops public health plans and national health programmes and ensures their implementation. MZ designates official and reference laboratories to analyse GM food and feed and food contact materials. MZ is also responsible for the registration of food supplements and foods for special medical purposes.

DIRH performs official controls of the entire food chain according to the principle “from farm to fork” by conducting veterinary, sanitary, phytosanitary and agriculture inspections. In addition to food safety, plant health, animal health and welfare, the remit of DIRH extends to agriculture, non-food product safety, trade, services, catering, mining, labour and occupational safety, civil engineering and environmental protection.

DIRH’s structure consists of a central office in Zagreb, regional offices and branch offices.

HAPIH is an independent public institution in the field of agriculture and food safety and works within the portfolio of the MP. HAPIH has a remit to implement risk assessments and risk communication relating to food and feed safety. HAPIH provides scientific and technical support based on risk assessments on all matters regarding food and feed safety, plant health, animal health and welfare. Further activities include research in the field of agronomy and related fields, plant protection, seed and seedling production, viticulture, winemaking, oil production, fruit growing, vegetable growing, agricultural land, cattle breeding, quality control of fresh raw milk, honey and feed.

HAPIH works in close cooperation and communication with a broad spectrum of national and international institutions. National independent scientific experts support the work of HAPIH through participation in the expert bodies. HAPIH is responsible for establishing and coordinating the national network of institutions in the area of food safety.

HZJZ is a central public health institute which deals with public health, health promotion and education, disease prevention, microbiology, environmental health, school medicine, mental health care and addiction prevention. It prepares and implements prevention programmes and other healthcare measures aimed at promoting healthy lifestyles. HZJZ carries out epidemiological surveillance and proposes, organises and undertakes preventive and counter-epidemic measures.

HZJZ coordinates the network of regional public health institutes. HZJZ and regional public health institutes have food laboratories which are official laboratories pursuant to Regulation (EC) No. 882/2004.

HVI is an independent public institution within the portfolio of the MP, primarily engaged in the diagnostics of infectious and parasitic animal diseases, analysis of food of animal origin and animal feed, control of veterinary medicinal products and scientific research. HVI consists of the Croatian Veterinary Institute in Zagreb and five branches that comprise the laboratories.