Summary of newsmakers from the previous day – 1.3.2006

Meeting of the Advisory Forum of the European Food Safety Authority (AF EFSA) will take place in Prague

The Food Safety Authority of the Ministry of Agriculture CR (MZe) hosts the meeting of the Advisory Forum of AF EFSA on the 3rd March this year. The spokesman of the MZe Tomáš Loskot informed about it today. The negotiation of Advisory Forum will be participated by representatives of all 25 EU member states, representatives of some non-member states and candidate countries, and EFSA workers. The Czech Republic will present an activity of the Food Safety Authority in area of safety of food in the whole coverage of basic industry, processing industry and sale. The meeting program contains also matters as the consumer protection, the availability and importance of independent information, solution of crisis states, communication with public and feedback and so on. The negotiation will be led by the executive director of the Authority, Mr. Herman Koeter. The Safety Food Authority will be introduced by its director Mr. František Sládek. A part of meeting is also a press conference.

Government has approved proposal of steps against import of waste

The government took cognizance of the report of the ministry of Environment (MŽP) on measures, which have been approved against illegal import of waste, today. At the same time it approved other steps. On a proposal of the MŽP a permanent work group of MŽP, ČIŽP, the Custom service of CR, and Police CR will be established; competence for the Police will be added in the Law on wastes. The government also agreed with the fact that the Ministry of Environment and the Minister Ambrozek will actively stand out against the proposal of a new European regulation on wastes which should enable their illegal import. The Minister Libor Ambrozek is also about to prepare together with the Minister Zářecký a proposal of other legislative adjustments.

Import of French poultry meat was banned or limited by 43 countries

A ban or restriction of import of poultry meat from France due to the occurrence of bird flu is applied by 43 countries outside the European Union. Paris starts be afraid of impacts on its poultry sector and asks Brussels to help to solve the situation. The French government attorney for foreign trade Christine Lagardova announced it today. The situation becomes to be so serious for French people that the government tries to convince foreign countries so that they applied the ban only in face of a concrete region where the infection has appeared.

New project to support ecological agriculture

The Action plan of the CR for ecological agriculture development till 2010, which the government of the CR had adopted, defined both strong sides of ecological agriculture and weak sides with the aim of their improvement. The Action plan priority is to improve the linkage of the ecological agriculture to the protection of nature and landscape, to improve guidance, education of farmers, consumers and other stakeholders. The Action plan is a national strategic document for ecological agriculture, however, its implementation has not been systematically financed yet. The interest problems of the project lie on the edge of competences of the resort of agriculture and environment. The ecological agriculture is a part of supported agri-environmental programs in frame of HRDP (Horizontal Rural Development Plan) – most of information and educational ranges are the same for the ecological agriculture and agri-envi.

Source: Agris, 02.03.2006