Summary of newspapers of the previous day - 20. 11. 2008

Still more fat land is irrevocably damaged

Dry arable land, millions of starving people looking for a new home and more brutal fight for remaining resources in dry areas of the world. For UNO experts this dreadful scenario is not a far future because nothing efficient is made for land protection as a base of life in a worldwide scale. A fight against spreading of deserts and damaging of arable land are for the UNO „the most important challenge of environment of our time“. This is a conclusion to which participants of a conference organized by the UNO came. It took place in Istambul with participation of 1000 experts.

Twenty seven achieved political agreement on Heath Check

After nightlong trilateral negotiations and lobbying of ministers of agriculture of the EU-27 a council met for final discussion at seven o´clock in the morning. The Czech Republic was successful in a question of reduction of payments against which the minister Petr Gandalovič had fight already since opening the health check of the Common Agricultural Policy. So, a progressive part of modulation is significantly reduced. The Czech Republic succeeded to enforce all substantial requirements in a final compromise. However, the health check did not bring a real simplification and a removal of disparities among member states. Therefore the CR will make prompt efforts for further simplification of the CAP, above all in frame its coming presidency.

Renewable resources of energy has green

Despite gloomy forecasts of some experts producers of solar panels, wind turbines and other technologies for production of energies from non-fossil resources promise that they are able to meet demand for equipment producing „net energy“ by the year 2020 so that the Union could fulfill its obligations. “We can cover 33 % to 40 % of European consumption of electricity by 2020, in dependence on progress in energy efficiency”, said a president of the European Renewable Energy Council (EREC) – a council of covering European organization of industrial, business and research associations dealing with renewable power supplies (OZE), Arthouros Tevros in a press release.

Factors influencing meat production

Economic indicators signalizing stimulations for production of various kinds of meat in the United States of America. In the current horizon, prices for feed, fuels and human work are record high. It is also felt an influence of protest against reforming of the USA policy which leads to increase in ethanol production. Not only food industry companies but recently also politicians express their reproaches. Producers complain against higher input costs. This all results in growth of food prices which is a consequence of narrow-sighted policy.