Dejan Židan

Dejan Židan was born on October 16, 1967 in Maribor. After completing the primary school in Rače in 1982 he enrolled in the School for animal husbandry and veterinary technicians, which he attended for two years in Maribor and later in Kamnik.

He enrolled in the Veterinary Faculty of the University of Ljubljana in 1986 and graduated in December 1992.

At the Reproduction Department of the Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Centre for the Pomurje region in Murska Sobota he completed his traineeship. In September 1994, he passed the state examination at the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food. For a short period after completing the traineeship he was employed at Agromerkur – poultrymeat production, in the establishment’s own veterinary clinic, and later at the Nabergoj veterinary engineering.

In August 1995, he started working at the Animal Health Centre of Slovenia (AHCS), Reproduction Department of the regional unit in Murska Sobota. He enrolled in postgraduate study in the autumn of 1996, which he successfully completed in December 1999. Additionally to performing his duties at the Reproduction Department, he became in 2000 the coordinator and later the head of the AHCS regional unit in Murska Sobota.

After the reorganisation of the veterinary service he was in charge of the regional unit of the National Veterinary Institute of the Veterinary Faculty in Murska Sobota, while continuing to professionally work on porcine health and reproduction. During this period, new facilities of the National Veterinary Institute in Murska Sobota were built. Within the scope of the Centre for Continuing Education of the Veterinary Faculty he was responsible for the coordination of the education of breeders and non-veterinary staff. Up until June 2003, he also edited the magazine “Reja prašičev” (Pig farming).

As a board member of the firm KG Rakičan d.d. – from May 2003 – and as the president of the management board of the Panvita Group, KG Rakičan d.d. – from January 2007 – he contributed to the development of an agri-food chain in Slovenia encompassing arable farming, feed production, pig and poultry rearing, slaughter and food processing industry as well as production of “green” energy.

As external associate of the Veterinary Faculty in Ljubljana he was elected as professional adviser for porcine health and reproduction at the end of 2003. In May 2007, he was re-appointed as a member of the animal husbandry council at the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food. In June 2007, the senate of the Faculty of Agriculture of the University of Maribor awarded him the title visiting expert of the Faculty of Agriculture.

On May 5, 2010 he was appointed as the Minister for Agriculture, Forestry and Food for a year. On national elections 2011 he was elected as a member of the National Assembly and chaired the Committee for Agriculture, Forestry, Food and the Environment in the National Assembly.

On March 20, 2013 he has been re-appointed as the Minister for Agriculture and the Environment and is since September 18, 2014 the Minister for Agriculture, Forestry and Food. He is also Deputy Prime Minister of the Slovenian Government.