Summary of newspapers of the previous day – 3.5.2012

Billions from Land Fund help Czech farmers

The Land Fund of the CR inputs considerable sums of money in the state budget throughout the entire time of its existence. It is supposed that from the beginning of LF CR functioning till the end of its activity at the end of 2013 it will be 12 billion crowns in total. These financial means are determined for programmes to support Czech agriculture and rural development.

Food inspection will introduce black list of problem products

Chain stores could get a fine as many as 10 million crowns for misleadingly marked products. Moreover, from June the State Agricultural Food Inspection (SZPI) will publish a list of problem products on a new internet portal. From this year beginning there were hundreds. A director of SZPI Jakub Šebesta said it at Wednesday meeting with representatives of the chains in Brno.

USA want to permit new arguable GM corn

The Ministry of Agriculture of the USA wants to permit GM corn, which is resistant to highly arguable and toxic substance 2.4-D, to a company Dow AgroScience. As an information service Gentechnik announced, the new corn should be a solution for superweeds which spread owing to growing of genetically modified plants resistant to glyphosate.

Increase in consumption tax rate of calm wine from 0 CZK to 10 CZK/l

The Ministry of Finances suggested an increase of a consumption tax rate of calm wine to 10 CZK/l adding that the production of small vine-growers will be exempted from the tax duty. This issue will be properly discussed and a solution will be looked for so that an impact on our vine-growers would be as smallest as possible. Because we are at the beginning of the process it will be necessary to negotiate with vine-growers and to look for compromises.

Representatives confirmed end of aerial sprays with chemical preparations

Today (2.5.2012) the Chamber of Deputies repeatedly confirmed a government amendment of the law on phytosanitary care which inter alia will terminate the present practice of aerial sprays. It will be possible to practice them only under conditions set by law. Together with that the representatives outvoted the Senate and refused its amendment.