Summary of newsmakers of the previous days – 15. - 17.9.2006

State will pay again for economy towards nature

The State Fund of Environment started again to receive applications for support of solar systems to heat water and biomass fuel boilers. Opening of the fund for these applications was decided by the minister of environment Petr Kalaš. The fund received requirements from people, municipalities, schools and health system to support renewable energy resources this year from half of March to the beginning of July. Then the program was closed due to lack of money. “Renewable resources are my priority”, Minister Kalaš said. According to him wind power stations, heat pumps and incineration plant for biomass save Earth climate, decrease dependency on import of fuels, creates new work places, or they use agricultural land lying dormant.

Canada has temporary ban of exports of cattle in the USA

The Minister of Agriculture M. Johanns promised at meeting with Canadian agri minister Ch. Strahl on Wednesday that the ban of import imposed on cattle from Canada is not permanent. DJN reported that Johanns had promised at the press conference that the USA would propose final rules of import of older cattle as soon as possible. The United States stopped imports in July after Canada announced the 8th case of BSE disease. The first case was confirmed in May 2003. Press news reported that present normalization of meat trade is intended to objective judge meat industry of both countries and considers as very important the adoption of rules, so that the trade could continue.

Subventions for support of renewable resources can be asked again since today

The State Fund of Environment (SFŽP) has renewed reception of applications in so called national programs for support of use of renewable energy resources. Karolína Šůlová, the spokeswoman of the Ministry of Environment CR (MŽP) informed on it. People, municipalities, schools and health services will be able to ask again for financial support in building of solar systems for heating and heating water, for biomass fuel boilers and for heat pumps. The Minister of Environment Petr Kalaš decided on it.

Milk misses dotations, therefore number of cows decreases

Many Czech milk producers can just dream of billions crowns from European funds. The current system of payment deprives them of them. It is dealt with compensation payments for gradual decrease of minimal milk price. Only for this year there is allotted for “dairy-men” 29,5 million euros in Euro-budget. However, they can not reach them. The Czech Republic bound itself by signing of accession contracts to pay European subsidies in form of unified payments per area. In practice it means that all payments concerning support of production including special compensation payments for milk are a part of one parcel of money which is divided according to hectares of agricultural land.