Summary of newsmakers of the previous day – 11.1.2007

Lack of bioproducts in Europe and on the world market

A boom of ecological agriculture which react on the instant to a plague of BSE, invoked a lack in Germany at present. Farmers and producers do not manage to cover demands and supply with bio-products stagnates. There is an insufficiency of potatoes, eggs, pig meat as well as feeding cereals on the market. Businessmen are not able to supplement the deficit neither by purchases abroad so they have to import raw materials among others from Chile and the South-American Republic. A reason of insufficiency is a big increase of interest of consumers and rising prices. Bio-product are offered today also by the biggest discount chains - Lidl, Penny and Aldi. Problems afflict above all smaller businessmen who do not have arranged long-term supplies.

New ecological farmers will not obtain financial compensation for their friendly behaviour towards landscape earlier than in 2009

140 eco-farmers of newly registered in the CR in 2006 represents a break-through in several-year stagnation of Czech eco-farming. A positive upturn in development of Czech ecological agriculture recorded last year can be endangered significantly. For most new farmers the postponement of the program Support of Rural Development means considerable complications, possibly even living difficulties. Demand for bio-raw-materials of Czech origin from a side of bio-food producers increases. Processors are interested mainly in cow milk, eggs, pig meat, spelt, buckwheat, fruits and vegetable; there is demand also for feeding cereals, all in bio-quality.

Two new subsidy titles ranked in PRD without standard approval procedure

In a situation when a term of start of the Program of Rural Development approved by the government last year the Ministry of Agriculture CR (MZe) has changed suddenly one of the most important program article - so called agro-environmental measure (AEM). The MZe inserted two new ones in the current titles. This change was made beyond procedures of a standard approval procedure.

Association: Enlargement of program of MZe can endanger money for eco-farmers

The Ministry of Agriculture which supplemented the passed measure Program of Rural Development (PRD) with two other subsidy titles reputedly risks that the start of the mentioned program will be postponed. A chairman of the Association of Ecological Farmers PRO-BIO Zdeněk Perlinger said it to CTK today. Eco-farmers are afraid that the MZe by this stem will shorten means for a support of their enterprise, and they warn that the titles have not passed a standard approval procedure. CTK is investigating a deliverance of the Ministry now. The MZe inserted in the program newly the titles Care for environmentally valuable areas and Non-productive investment - Change of landscape structure. However, according to the Association the tools are general and some are even in conflict with European regulation.