Summary of newsmakers from the previous day 5. 4. 2005

Forests CZ increased the gross profit by 129 per cent to 655 million CZK

According to first estimates, the state organisation Forests of the Czech Republic (LČR) increased the gross profit before provisions by 129 per cent to 655 million CZK last year. The net profit, which accounted for 150 million CZK two years ago, has not been calculated yet. Last year, the organisation intensified the wood extraction by 2.9 per cent to 7.65 million cubic metres. It has been reported today to ČTK by the LČR spokesperson Lubomír Šálek. The company, which owns a half of the forests in the country, claims the profit growth was caused mainly by cost savings of 200 million CZK and advancing sales of wood by 15 per cent within their overheads. Last year, the operating profit of the Forests climbed to 368 million CZK from 51 million CZK, recorded in the previous year, and revenues grew by 3 per cent to 6.08 milliard CZK.

Veterinary surgeons are suspicious of a third case of BSE

Having carried out some quick tests, there is a suspicion of a third case of BSE this year, in total already the eighteenth case of BSE in the Czech Republic. Josef Duben, the spokesperson of the State Veterinary Office, has reported it today. He stated that it was the State Veterinary Institution in Prague that had announced the suspicion after examining a brain sample of a five-year-old cow from Trhový Štepánov in Benešov district. The cow, coming from the Agricultural co-operative Trhový Štěpánov Plc., was slaughtered in an ordinary slaughter-house.

Green sash for the Czech Village of the Year 2005 in patronage of the Ministry of Environment

At today´s national meeting of the Association for rural reconstruction within the Senate Libor Ambrozek, the minister of environment, took over the patronage of „Green sash“ award, which is given to municipalities in the competition of the Village of the Year. It has been released by Jakub Kašpar, the head of the ministerial press department. This year, the competition will already take place for the eleventh time. It is held within the Rural reconstruction programme, coordinated by the Ministry for local development. The Green sash is awarded to a municipality for „the exemplary greenery and environment care.“

ČEZ intends to burn corn in its power plants

According to today´s Hospodářské noviny newspaper, several hundred thousand tons of corn are heading to power engineering companies of ČEZ instead to baker´s. This way, farmers want to get rid of the surpluses. On the other hand, ČEZ is lured by the current low price of corn as a fuel source. „The negotiations with the ČEZ representatives have already taken place. They offered the price of about 1,100 CZK for a ton of corn. We had also the tests of fuel efficiency done,“ reported Ladislav Svoboda, the head of the Corn exchange in Brno, which is to mediate the deal. However, the final decision has not been made yet. We have to acquire appropriate permissions and consider the ethic side of the whole arrangement.