Summary of newsmakers of the previous day – 2.1.2007

Emission permits decreased to historic minimum

For the first time in history prices of emission permits for March 2007 have become under the border of six Euro. They are now the main delivery term. About the noon they were traded for 5,65 Euro (c. 155 CZK) per ton. On comparison with a previous trade when a price was 6,45 Euro it means a fall by 80 cents. The permits price with December delivery decreased from 6,60 Euro to 5,75 Euro.

2006: 143 forms fell on 1 farmer

The Private Farmers Association has counted that agricultural entrepreneurs have to fulfill 143 official forms yearly. The state promises a change. Private farmers, the Agrarian Chamber as well as the Ministry agree on the fact that a level of bureaucracy has already grown to a critical limit. The year 2006 shown that agricultural entrepreneurs spend as much as a sixth of their working time carrying out applications and other official documents. “Farmers become officers”, admitted Ji˙í Pape˙, a former minister of shadow government of ODS and the present chairman of agricultural committee of the Parliament at a workshop on agriculture in 2006. He counted that the agricultural legislative consists of 20 laws, 127 regulations and 34 statutory rules. “I will put through so that legislative was simplified”, he said.

Clones as food are absolutely safe

Clones are no longer a Frankenstein monster which in its existence offends the God and the nature. The supreme American authority for food safety (FDA-Food and Drug Administration) has confirmed that clones of cattle, pigs, goats as well as their products as milk are safe for use in human nutrition. Meat and milk from cloned animals is recognized by a governmental institution as safe. The supreme American Food and Drug Administration decided on it. In a published announcement it is written that “Cloned cattle, pigs and goats produce food as safe as animals foodstuffs from which people consume commonly everyday”.

Timber harvesting collapses; prices will go up

Forestry and timer firms will release hundreds of people and will start to reckon hundred-million loses. In a half of all forests timber harvesting is stopped from the beginning of 2007. The drop-out will last at least till the end of February and will project also in rise of timber prices. Meanwhile experts do not want to reckon how much. The collapse was caused by the state enterprise Lesy CR. It cancelled contracts at the end of 2006 according to which private firms worked special for Lesy. However, meanwhile it is not able to close new contracts with them. “We have already announced results of new selections. However, we have to count on at least a month and half to carry out objections. There can be many of them. According to new contracts firms will have been able to start work perhaps till the end of February. Also other complication can happen which will further delay signing of the contracts”, František Koní˙ek, the director of Lesy CR says.