Summary of newsmakers from the previous day - 13.2.2006

Sugar refineries did not close cartel according to ÚOHS

The Office for Protection of Competition CR (ÚOHS) introduced a new first-grade decision on the 6th February in case of a possible breaking of the law on protection of competition by sugar refinery companies EASTERN SUGAR Czech Republic, a.s.; Moravskoslezské cukrovary, a.s.; Cukrovary TTD a.s. and Cukrovar Vrbátky a.s. The press division of the Office informed about it today and added that sugar refineries will not be fined for a former suspicion of concerted action.

Czech Republic will again deal with bird flu

A new occurrence of bird flu in the EU countries forced to negotiate also the Minister of Agriculture. Jan Mládek called the Central Infection Commission to order for Tuesday afternoon. It should deal with a possible prevention in the Czech Republic. During the weekend the first confirmed cases of occurrence of highly pathogenic virus H5N1 of bird flu were reported in three EU states. The virus in dead swans was proved in Italy, Greece and Slovenia, and from other European states also in Bulgaria.

Dangerous virus penetrated in EU

The European Union faces the direct jeopardy by the bird flu virus, however, it does not panic meantime. Greece and Italy informed at the weekend that strain of the virus H5N1, which had already caused death of at least 90 people, was found out in bodies of dead swans. According to Austrian agency APA also Slovenia detected the virus, however, the finding has to be confirmed by the EU laboratory. Cases in Italy and Greece are the first confirmed occurrences of potentially killing virus in wild birds in the Union. The infection H5N1 has been proved till this time only in a parrot imported in the Great Britain from Southern America.

This year's winter will be more expensive for farmers than the previous ones

This year's winter will be more expensive in costs for farmers than the previous ones, by estimation by one third, said the president of Agrarian Chamber Jan Veleba. Severe frosts besides a possible damage of growths in fields caused problems in animal production. Huge amounts of snow mean higher costs for snow removal and endanger roofs of agricultural buildings. Some of them have no longer could bear the burden, for example in Pelhřimov region.

Source: Agris, 14.02.2006