The Ministry of Agriculture is the central body of the State administration of agriculture, water management, the food industry and forest management, hunting and fishing outside the National Parks. The Ministry of Agriculture is also the central body of State administration in matters concerning commodity exchanges, which organises trade in goods from agricultural and forestry production, including products resulting from their processing. Furthermore it is the central body of State administration in matters of veterinary care, phytosanitary care, care of foodstuffs, the prevention of cruelty to animals and protection of the rights of new plant varieties and animal breeds. Working in tandem with the State Agricultural Intervention Fund, the Ministry of Agriculture carries out measures for the common organisation of the European Union’s markets, direct payments, national supplementary payments for direct support, structural support programmes and rural development programmes.