Summary of newsmakers of the previous day – 24.6.2008

Czech presidency in EU Council will organize conference on food quality

The Minister of Agriculture Petr Gandalovič discussed a possible topic of a special conference at the high level in frame of our presidency with the Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development Mariann Fisher Boel. They chose a policy of quality agricultural products and foods. The policy of quality agricultural products and foods should become a topic of a special conference which the Ministry of Agriculture plans to organize in frame of presidency of the CR in the Council of European Union according to presumptions in May 2009.

Union will set stricter rules for use of pesticides

A compromise has been successfully achieved concerning a new proposal of a regulation for introduction of plant protection preparations on the market. The adjusted rules have to be approved by the European Parliament which has competence in this area of co-determination. The new rules on one hand should secure a good level of safety in treatment with these preparations and eliminate possible negative impacts on consumers; on the other hand it has to enable an efficient protection of crop-plants. The stricter criteria should remove about twenty percent of at present available preparations from the Czech market.

Potatoes growers: this year’s weather favour us for the present

The actual course of this year’s weather is relished by potatoes growers. On a farm Kublák in Fryčovice in the region Frýdek-Místek they have potatoes on thirty hectares. “In the nearest days we will have to start with blight-sprays. Occurrence of Colorado beetle on fields is sporadic. It is double true in agriculture that good harvest should be praised when crop is already under roof. Nevertheless, meanwhile this year’s potato crop look very good”, Jaromír Kublák said.

Gandalovič: system of separated payments has to be completed with a tool for treatment of sensitive sectors

Other round of negotiations on inspection of the Common Agricultural Policy functionality concerned a system of direct payments. Simplification of the system, a unification of payment mechanism for all member states as well as separation of payment from production has to be accompanied, according to the Czech Republic, by tools for treatment of so called sensitive sectors as e.g. growing of hop, flax, starch production and cattle breeding in the CR. According to the Minister of Agriculture Petr Gandalovič the inspection of “health state” of the Common Agricultural Policy by simplification and unification of the direct payment system set off a good way; now it is dealt with a finding of health balance between advantages and risks.