Asociace soukromého zemědělství ČR

Legal form and organizational structure

The APF CR is an association of legal entities, i.e. different regional associations of private farmers which are associations of natural persons – individual farmers. Each regional association of private farmers has its own legal subjectivity. Nowadays, 36 regional associations form the APF CR, covering almost the entire area of the Czech Republic. All costs attached to the APF CR activities are covered particularly from the membership fees and additionally also from the APF CR’s own professional activities.

Bodies of the Association of the Private Farming of the Czech Republic

· General Meeting is the highest body consisting of five elected candidates from each regional APF. The meetings take place once a year.

· Two representatives of each regional APF are directly elected to the Council of the APF CR. The Council meetings take place at least two times a year.

· The Presidium of the APF CR has fifteen members elected directly by the Council of the APF CR for a three-year term of office. This body is in charge of the executive activity of the APF CR.

· The president and two vice-presidents are elected directly by the Council of the APF CR and they act as statutory representatives of the APF CR.

· Being the control body of the association, the Auditing Commission pursues revision
of accounting.

· The Principal Commodity Council consists of specialized commodity councils’ presidents.

National office of the APF CR

informational and organizational services are provided by the main office in Prague. Similar offices, however, are gradually being established also in the individual regions. The main office provides contact with the membership, prepares meetings of Commodity Councils as well as other APF CR bodies and gathers information necessary for the decision making of the APF CR bodies. It prepares source materials for comments on amendments and acts, makes contracts in the framework of the program Czech Farm, creates and distributes promotional materials of the APF CR. It publishes the Bulletin of the APF CR which contains information on current activities of the APF and on legislative, economic or commodity affairs. This bulletin is distributed among all members of the APF  in the interval of approximately two months. The office is also in charge of administration of the innovated website www.asz.cz which (besides interactive communication between current APF CR structures) enable to realize active business and informational and economic programs (Czech Farm, Newsflash, Press News, Advertisements, Weather Forecast, Regions, Photo Gallery of farms and activities etc.). A regular page in the national professional weekly ‘Zemědělec’ (Farmer) is also a notable presentation of the official opinions and attitudes of the APF CR.

Furthermore the office ensures fulfillment of foreign conception of the APF CR. It organizes excursions to farms abroad, courses and trainings for the APF CR members. It is in charge of promotion of the APF CR at national agricultural exhibitions, cooperates with regions in order to prepare the Farm of the Year contest and the annual Harvest festival. It ensures economic affairs of the APF CR. The office currently disposes of two regular and two external co-workers.