Summary of newsmakers of the previous day – 26.11. 2007

Europe wants to eat cheaper. It cancels duties on cereals

The European Commission suggested a temporary cancellation of import duties on cereals today. The decision is a result of increasing prices of cereals and decreasing reserves and it should be in force till the end of June next year. Ministries of Agriculture of EU member states should pass the proposal at a December session. Hospodářské noviny server informed on it with reference to ČTK agency. According to a commissioner for agriculture Mariann Fisher-Boel this proposal will support export from countries except the EU and will help to release tensioned situation on the cereals market. A significant growth of cereal prices has been recorded in recent months not only by farmers but also by consumers. A price of wheat has almost doubled. The growth has been caused by weak harvest in main producer as well as developing countries.

Don't damage us - food producers ask businessmen

If trade chains misuse their position towards food suppliers, they should pay a fine ten million crowns or a tenth from yearly turnover. It is one of articles of a draft law prepared by the Food Chamber. “Aim is to reduce unfair practices of trade chains which exact various payments on suppliers for that they sell their goods”, the president of Chamber Miroslav Toman says. The law has a chance after many previous attempts that it could start to hold next year. Food producer have elaborated it together with the Antimonopoly Office. Traditionally it is supported by representatives of KSČM and ČSSD, however, also lawmakers of ODS are prepared for a discussion.

There will be a little amount of honey, bee-keepers warn against falsifications

To spread honey on a slice of bread in the morning? Probably it will not be so simple. There will be a significantly smaller harvest of honey this year. However, prices do not have to increase, there is rather a threat of falsifications. “A catastrophic vision on a massive death of bee colonies in the Czech Republic did not prove true this year”, a secretary of the Czech Union of Bee-keepers Miroslav Peroutka said to the daily Aktuálně.cz. “At a meeting of our supreme authority seven from 74 regions informed on a higher death of bees”, he stated. Despite the fact the amount of honey will be significantly smaller than last year. According to Peroutka bee-keepers expect this year's production of about 7500 tons; however, last year it exceeded nine thousand tons.

SPLH: tenders of LČR turn in vicious circle. Already one year

“It is just one year when we as an Association of Entrepreneurs in Forest Management (SPLH) have seriously referred to discrepancies in selective proceeding in LCR for the first time. Simply said we called attention to their unlawfulness! Now after a year we can state the only thing: entering proceedings of the forestry state enterprise, respectively many particular articles of new tenders do not fulfill a letter of law on entering of public commissions”, a chairman of SPLH Miloš Balák said. A submitter, Lesy CR, repeatedly and incompletely delimited the subject of public commission and set evaluating criteria quite non-transparently and disadvantageously for a state enterprise. So again qualification requirement were unpardonably underestimated which enabled in absolutely unbearable rate participation of firms without adequate experience and technical hinterland.