Slovenská rastlinolekárska spoločnosť – Slovak Plant Health Society
Jozef Kotleba, SRS President, Trieda A. Hlinku 2, 949 76 Nitra
Establishment of the Society
Slovak Plant Health Society (SPHS) (hereinafter referred to as “the Society”) was incorporated in
2000. The Charter − as its fundamental document − governs the Society’s mission and activities,
membership rights and obligations, economic affairs and dissolution.
In the light of Act No. 83/1990 Coll. on citizen associations as last amended, the Society is a trade
association of Slovakian nationals.
The Society is based on voluntary membership, of democratic, while being non-political and nonprofit. It puts together both natural and legal persons (hereinafter referred to as “Members”), who are
not exclusively professionally involved in the care for plant health − in particular of crops and
products made thereof − as well as the care for wide-life flora, in the fields of research, national
control mechanisms, education, growers and other users of agricultural land and not to forget that the
Society membership is accessible to anyone, who may be interested in the aforementioned activities
The Society performs in the territory of Slovakia as an independent legal entity.
The President acts on behalf of the Society as its statutory organ.
The Society’s mission
The Society’s mission is to care for health of crops and environmental protection with the aim to
ensure the safety of plant products and food. In order to fulfil its mission, the Society Members
actively assist:
a)
To disseminate its scientific and technological knowledge and expertise and to convey them to
producers, traders and advisors in the field of protection of plants and plant production from harmful
organisms and agents;
b)
To implement the principles of integrated plan protection, best management practice and
sustainable agriculture;
c)
To integrate activities of phytopathologists, crop producers, pesticide trade and services staffs,
hobby gardeners, teachers, scientists and researchers as well as other stakeholders in the domain.
The Society’s activities
The core of the Society’s activities is focused on its steady efforts so as that:
a)
b)
c)
The professional standard of its Members be increased and improved;
The nation-wide and international conferences, seminars, lectures, excursions, training courses,
exhibitions, issuance and editorial activities be performed and organised the best possible;
The Society’s propriety be appropriately enhanced.
The Society’s membership
The current number of Members to the Society has reached approximately 120.
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The Society’s co-operation with external stakeholders
The Society conducts close technical co-operation with governmental and other technical organs to
cope with practical plant health problems and to contribute to future plant-health care development; at
the same time, its introduces its own proposals and positions to this ends.
Acknowledgement of the Society Members
The Society awards acknowledgment to those its Members, who have extraordinary contributed to its
activity or who have made important contributions to the development of plant health care; such
acknowledgements are made in the way its making motions to award them national and ministerial
distinctions, honour diplomas, medals, financial rewards, etc.
Conveyance of information about the Society’s activities
On it website www.srsweb.sk or through other appropriate media, the Society keeps professional
public and its Members steadily informed of its activities.
Membership to the Society
(1) Any natural or legal person, who is actively participates or is publicly engaged in the field of or in
favour of plant health care or agribusiness or who is interested in the membership to the Society,
may become member to the Society.
(2) Member legal persons participate on the Society’s activities through their respective
representatives, who shall meet membership requirements.
(3) The Society may elect honorary Members from among its own Members or from among foreign
experts.
(4) Membership to the Society begins as from the submission to its secretariat of an application
therefor, the approval thereof to the Governing Board and the payment of the membership fee.
(5) Membership would cease:
a. After a notice in writing by the Member in question is submitted to the Secretariat that he
intends to quit the Society;
b. After the Member in question has been expelled from the Society due to his acting or activity,
which has contradicted the Charter of the Society, and after his expulsion has been approved
by the General Assembly;
c. After the Member in question has deceased;
d. After the Society has been dissolved.
Rights & obligations of the Society’s Members
Rights:
a) To elect and to be elected for membership in the Society’s organs;
b) To invited to participate to the General Assembly sessions and to any and all events as organised
by the Society;
c) To be kept informed of any and all the Society’s activities;
d) To participate actively on drafting the plans of the Society’s activities, to present suggestions and
initiatives that concerns them;
e) To usufruct the knowledge and to enjoy consultations within the Society;
f) Based on a proxy from the Governing Board, to be delegated and thus to act on behalf of the
Society;
g) To quit the Society.
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Obligations:
a) To discharge duties and to fulfil obligations, emanating from the positions entrusted to him,
actively and responsibly,
b) To observe the Charter and the resolutions adopted by the Society’s organs;
c) To advocate and to defend the Society’s interests, its impartiality and professionalism;
d) To maintain the Society’s ethics and to enhance its professional respect and social renown;
e) To pay orderly and timely the Society membership fees;
f) To participate at General Assembly sessions.
Internal organisation of the Society
(1) The Society consists of its regional branches and Members.
(2) Members to the Society have been centrally registered with the Headquarters with their records
kept by their respective regional branches.
(3) Within the Society, specialised sections to address different issues may be formed, e.g. those for
terminology, entomology, mycology, virology, etc.; each such section would elect its Head and
two-member committee.
Organs of the Society
The organs to run the Society are as follows:
a) General Assembly (Valné zhromaždenie, VZ),
b) Governing Board (Predsedníctvo, P),
c) Board of Supervisors (Kontrolná komisia, KK).
The Society’s organs are elected by the participants to General Assembly sessions in conformity with
the Electoral Regulations, which is an internal regulation of the Society.
General Assembly:
a) Is the highest organ of the Society and is convoked by the President;
b) In between VZ sessions, its co-ordinating and executing functions are performed by the Governing
Board.
Governing Board:
a) Has at least 9 members and consist of: Head, at least one Vice-head, Secretary, Economist, and
remaining members;
b) The Secretariat is the executive organ (Head, Vice-head, Secretary, Economist) to discharge
operative, organisational and administrative tasks;
c) Ensures the Society’s activity in between VZ sessions.
Board of Supervisors:
a) Is three-member organ;
b) Its sessions are convoked by its Head at least annually;
c) Its annual reports must be signed by all its members.
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Main activities of the Society
The Society biennially organises Slovak plant-health days that has taken the form of international
conferences to address and to discuss important topical issues.
The Society organises and co-organises technical seminars.
In course of entire years, Members to the Society run different educational and training activities for
wide professional public in agribusiness.
Slovak Plant Health Society is member to Association of Slovak Scientific & Technological Societies.
International co-operation of the Society
The Society co-operates with its partner associations, such as Česká společnost rostlinolékařská
(Czech Plant Health Society), Deutsche Phytomedizinische Gesellschaft (German Society for Plant
Protection and Plant Health) and Österreichische Arbeitsgemeinschaft für integrierten Pflanzenschutz
(Austrian Society for Integrated Pest Management) are in order to co-organise international
conferences and seminars organisations.
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