Digital session: Food and Agriculture Alliance

A manager with 20 years of experience in leading different profiles and formats of instiutional and project teams. Expertise in the field of quality, where in addition to the work experience, I also have an academic education. I created a national programme for certification of food quality and safety through creation of a regulatory and institutional environment for the construction of quality infrastructure in Serbia. I also established a regulatory framework for trade in fresh products and developed a national wholesale system through the implementation of OECD standards. I introduced standards of good corporate governance in the public sector through rationalizations of activities, establishing institutional and international cooperation, and continuously improving the quality and efficiency of services in the public sector. The author is also a member of the BFC Technical Committee, which is successfully implemented in six countries in the region. I am also a member of the ATS team who passed the first European peer evaluation where I performed duties of Deputy Director, QMS as well as the lead assessor for the 17000 series of standards. I am also an assessor for the standards 9001, 15189, 14001, 15189 and HCCP 22000. I also gained experience in the development and management of member organizations. I have developed negotiation skills with the ability to think strategically, a clear vision and experience in managing complex regional projects. I am the author of numeral articles, newspaper columns and publications. I was also engaged as a speaker, panelist and conference moderator. Also, I was a visiting lecturer at the Faculty of Economics in Belgrade. Currently in the position of acting director of Accreditation body of Serbia.

• Supporting the definition of the national strategic framework for the development of agriculture and the food industry, by participating in the development of national program documents and action plans
• Promoting and supporting solving the problem of illegal production and marketing of food products, as well as any other illegal activity in the food chain,

• Sustainable agriculture: In the last two years, Nestlé has been implementing a regenerative (sustainable) agriculture project through the implementation and assistance of its local vegetable suppliers (Geneza and Telek Paprika from Kanjiza) in which more than 450,000 Swiss francs have been invested so far. As a pioneer in this field in Serbia, the topic of sustainable agriculture is important to us, not only for our own development but also for the development of agriculture in Serbia and for the expansion of expertise and further investment in the local community. The project will continue in the next three years by increasing the investment and expanding to three more local suppliers and the implementation of these processes leads to healthier ingredients in the products, with less emissions of harmful gases and the use of green energy in production.
• Participation in the work on regulations thematically related to food and agriculture. As a local producer and importer, experience and knowledge in the application of regulations but also previous participation in the development of local regulation makes Nestlé Serbia a credible partner when in comes to the improvement of this area (quality and food safety, labelling, food surplus management, taxes and excises on food products). In addition, we are active in numerous working bodies of competent ministries and non-governmental organizations when it comes to work on improving regulations and facilitating their application in practice. 
• Harmonization of relevant regulations with the EU. As the largest international food company with a wide range of products, we see the harmonization of regulations with the EU as a key factor in the progress of the local food industry and the removal of trade barriers that are a consequence of non-harmonized regulations. In addition, as a company operating in a region that also includes EU members, the knowledge and expertise we possess will certainly contribute to further and more comprehensive harmonization and applications within the industry in which we operate. 

He was born on February 20, 1973 in Aleksinac. He is a doctor of medicine, an epidemiologist. He has been beekeeping since 1992. He has been the president of the Serbian Federation of Beekeeping Organizations (SPOS) since 2008. He is the author of 4 books, as well as the editor and co-author of 5 books. He was awarded by the President of Serbia with the Gold Medal for his merits in beekeeping in 2014. He was the editor of 2 magazines and a member of the editorial board of 4 magazines. He is the youngest president of SPOS of all time. By fighting counterfeit honey, it reduced their appearance on the Serbian market by 60%. He designed, provided funds and built the Plant for the placement of beekeepers\\\' honey. Honey is now marketed without intermediaries. He managed to fight for the change of a large number of laws and regulations in the field of beekeeping and their adaptation to European regulations. He made Serbian beekeepers more competitive on the world market. He is a great fighter against the illegal production and distribution of food, and he managed to significantly reduce such occurrences in the beekeeping sector with his constant activities.

• First of all, he will advocate for increasing the competitiveness of our food producers on the world market, through the reduction or elimination of unnecessary institutional costs, through providing support for the establishment of a modern regulatory and institutional framework, as well as a stable business environment in the food and agriculture sector. Rationalization of costs and administrative procedures in the food and agriculture sector must be an imperative of the Alliance.
• He is a great fighter against the illegal production and distribution of food, and will advocate for ongoing activities that would significantly reduce such occurrences and bring all producers into legal channels in a convenient way or remove them from the market.
• It will support the definition of the national strategic framework for the development of agriculture and the food industry, by participating in the development of national program documents and action plans. It will support the establishment of a legislative framework and the adoption of regulations that are harmonized with the legislation of the European Union, taking into account the specificities of the sector at the national level.
• He will advocate the establishment of a stable, predictable and sustainable business environment for business entities from the food and agriculture sector, with a constant struggle for a more realistic incentive policy in the field of agriculture, as well as the efficient use of EU pre-accession funds, in order to increase competitiveness.

Tamara Penjić graduated from the Faculty of Technology of the University of Novi Sad, and then completed postgraduate specialist studies at the same faculty. She continued her professional development at numerous specialized trainings and study programs in the country and abroad. She started her career in 2000 at CARNEX d.o.o. Vrbas meat industry, in which she developed professionally and gained rich experience in all segments of food production and safety, quality and risk management issues, in the domain of standards and regulatory framework crucial for the food industry. During her career, she successfully performed tasks in various positions, gained many years of experience in senior management, and since 2016 she has been performing the duties of the Meat Industry Executive Director in the CARNEX company. During her career, she successfully managed several important industrial projects on automation of production, construction of a new plant, reconstruction of facilities. Active in the work of several organizations and working groups. She is the president of the Association for the Development of the Quality of Meat and Meat Products (Serbian Quality Initiative). She holds the position of President of the Council of Technologists. She actively participates in the changes and improvement of legal regulations, as a member of several working groups for the drafting of the Rulebook at the Ministry of Agriculture, she is an active participant in numerous professional, scientific and thematic gatherings. As an expert in the field of meat production and meat products, food safety and management, she is the author and co-author of numerous professional papers and texts published in the country and abroad. She is married and the mother of one child.

• Improvement of the legislative framework and application of regulations in the food industry through an active dialogue with the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management, as well as other ministries relevant to regulations related to food and agriculture;
• Harmonization of regulations with European Union regulations;
• Optimization and digitization of at least one procedure in the field of food and agriculture.

Vladimir graduated from Faculty of Agriculture, University of Belgrade Zootechnics (Animal Husbandry), after which he has been building work experience in a small business since 2005 - in the company S.M.K.R Milićević he gained more than 10 years of experience as a HACCP team leader and production director, dealing with management processes of production and processing of meat and meat products, control of the production process and ensuring compliance with HAACP rules related to food safety in the production and distribution process. Since 2018, he has been running his own meat production as the owner, HACCP team leader and production director. He has been the Mayor of Paraćin since 2020. In addition to an active career, he has been professionally engaged in photography for more than 10 years - as a photographer and videographer, he was engaged in more than 300 commercial events, participated in more than 100 international photo exhibitions, won more than 50 international awards, and in 2017 had a solo exhibition "Light and Darkness", one of the most visited solo exhibitions in Paraćin. Independent exhibitions were also opened in Aleksinac and Kumanovo.

• Drafting of national program documents and action plans for the development of agriculture and the food industry
• Solving the problem of not allowing the production and marketing of food products
• Establishing a stable and sustainable business environment for business entities from the food and agriculture sector
• Incentives in the field of agriculture
• Effective use of EU pre-accession funds, in order to increase the competitiveness of the Serbian food and agriculture sector

Topics for which the candidate stands

• Supporting the definition of the national strategic framework for the development of agriculture and the food industry, by participating in the development of national program documents and action plans
• Promoting and supporting solving the problem of illegal production and marketing of food products, as well as any other illegal activity in the food chain,

Topics for which the candidate stands

• Sustainable agriculture: In the last two years, Nestlé has been implementing a regenerative (sustainable) agriculture project through the implementation and assistance of its local vegetable suppliers (Geneza and Telek Paprika from Kanjiza) in which more than 450,000 Swiss francs have been invested so far. As a pioneer in this field in Serbia, the topic of sustainable agriculture is important to us, not only for our own development but also for the development of agriculture in Serbia and for the expansion of expertise and further investment in the local community. The project will continue in the next three years by increasing the investment and expanding to three more local suppliers and the implementation of these processes leads to healthier ingredients in the products, with less emissions of harmful gases and the use of green energy in production.
• Participation in the work on regulations thematically related to food and agriculture. As a local producer and importer, experience and knowledge in the application of regulations but also previous participation in the development of local regulation makes Nestlé Serbia a credible partner when in comes to the improvement of this area (quality and food safety, labelling, food surplus management, taxes and excises on food products). In addition, we are active in numerous working bodies of competent ministries and non-governmental organizations when it comes to work on improving regulations and facilitating their application in practice. 
• Harmonization of relevant regulations with the EU. As the largest international food company with a wide range of products, we see the harmonization of regulations with the EU as a key factor in the progress of the local food industry and the removal of trade barriers that are a consequence of non-harmonized regulations. In addition, as a company operating in a region that also includes EU members, the knowledge and expertise we possess will certainly contribute to further and more comprehensive harmonization and applications within the industry in which we operate. 

Topics for which the candidate stands

• First of all, he will advocate for increasing the competitiveness of our food producers on the world market, through the reduction or elimination of unnecessary institutional costs, through providing support for the establishment of a modern regulatory and institutional framework, as well as a stable business environment in the food and agriculture sector. Rationalization of costs and administrative procedures in the food and agriculture sector must be an imperative of the Alliance.
• He is a great fighter against the illegal production and distribution of food, and will advocate for ongoing activities that would significantly reduce such occurrences and bring all producers into legal channels in a convenient way or remove them from the market.
• It will support the definition of the national strategic framework for the development of agriculture and the food industry, by participating in the development of national program documents and action plans. It will support the establishment of a legislative framework and the adoption of regulations that are harmonized with the legislation of the European Union, taking into account the specificities of the sector at the national level.
• He will advocate the establishment of a stable, predictable and sustainable business environment for business entities from the food and agriculture sector, with a constant struggle for a more realistic incentive policy in the field of agriculture, as well as the efficient use of EU pre-accession funds, in order to increase competitiveness.

Topics for which the candidate stands

• Improvement of the legislative framework and application of regulations in the food industry through an active dialogue with the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management, as well as other ministries relevant to regulations related to food and agriculture;
• Harmonization of regulations with European Union regulations;
• Optimization and digitization of at least one procedure in the field of food and agriculture.

Topics for which the candidate stands

• Drafting of national program documents and action plans for the development of agriculture and the food industry
• Solving the problem of not allowing the production and marketing of food products
• Establishing a stable and sustainable business environment for business entities from the food and agriculture sector
• Incentives in the field of agriculture
• Effective use of EU pre-accession funds, in order to increase the competitiveness of the Serbian food and agriculture sector