Slovak opposition challenges Ministry of Agriculture over procurement and state enterprise plans

Political opposition in Slovakia is raising concerns regarding the management of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. Tamara Stohlová of Progresívne Slovensko has filed a motion with the Public Procurement Office (ÚVO) to investigate the procurement of security services. The motion alleges that the ministry, under Tomáš Taraba, may have bypassed procurement laws by splitting contracts worth over 1.4 million euros into smaller monthly orders to a private firm, MR-SECURITY.

Separately, the KDH party is demanding transparency from Minister Richard Takáč regarding the proposed dissolution of the state-owned enterprise Plemenárske služby Slovenskej republiky. KDH argues that the company is profitable, noting a profit of 440,000 euros in 2023, and maintains that the ministry has failed to provide economic analyses or professional justifications for closing a business that manages the national livestock database. The ministry has declined to comment on the specific criticisms, citing a need for internal analyses.