Ministry of Agriculture

The areas of activity of the Ministry of Agriculture are drafting and realisation of national agricultural development plans and effectuation of corresponding measures, regulation of activities related to the processing of agricultural products, agricultural market regulation, the national stockpiles of basic grain seed and food grains, food control and supervision, plant protection, veterinary medicine, animal and plant breeding, land improvement. The Ministry provides agricultural research, education and training, and prepares relevant draft legislation.

The objective of the activities of the Ministry is to provide conditions for the sustainable and diverse development of Estonian rural development, agriculture, and fishing industry, to ensure safe and proper food and feeding-stuffs, and a good state of animal health and protection and plant health and protection fields through evolvement, implementation and assessment of rural development, agricultural, and fisheries policies and elaboration and implementation of food safety, animal health and protection, and plant health and protection requirements.

The principal functions of the Ministry shall be:

1) elaboration of development plans for all the fields of activity within its area of government and coordination of financing, exercising, and evaluation of these plans;

2) participation in the evolvement of development plans related to the fields of activity of the Ministry in collaboration with other Ministries concerned;

3) preparation of draft legislation for the operation of the fields of activity within its area of government, ensuring their compliance with the constitution and the law, and performance of the tasks required by legislation;

4) organisation of international collaboration within its area of government, including participation in the European Union decision-making process and the work of its institutions.

The Ministry shall perform the tasks of Priority 3 “Agriculture, Fishery and Rural Development” of the “National Development Plan of Estonia for the Implementation of the Structural Funds of the European Union – the Single Programming Document 2004-2006” and the tasks of the intermediate body at Measure level as provided by this Priority.