Summary of newspapers of the previous day – 5. 1. 2009

Cabinet approved billion for farmers to even up direct payments

Also the government passed a law on free movement of services which will simplify business of Czech firms in all countries of the European Union. Czech farmers should obtain other billion crowns to even up direct payments; the state should take the money from incomes of the Land Fund of CR. An amendment of act on the land fund proposal of which was signed by representatives of ODS, ČSSD, KDU-ČSL and KSČM as well as the Minister of Agriculture Petr Gandalovič was approved by the government. Petr Habáň from a press division of the Ministry of Agriculture informed on it.

Farmers collected half million CZK for prepared protest owing to milk

A fund for which milk producers collected half million crowns should serve for a planned farmers manifestation in front of shops of trade chains which should take place during January. A president of the Agrarian Chamber Jan Veleba told it in a program of Czech Television Otázky Václava Moravce on Sunday. According to him, a form and a content of the actions will be known on Wednesday. By this action farmers wants to draw attention to an unfavourable situation on the milk market and a reputedly decreasing share of Czech milk products in supermarkets. Milan Teplý, a chief of the biggest Czech dairy works Madeta expressed a moral support to the planned action in which farmers will probably hand out Czech milk products in front of the shops.

In 2009 meat and milk will be cheaper

According to economists, after a long time the year 2009 will be a period of lower expenditures for food. It is owing to a huge increase in prices a year ago beside which this year´s ones will be „nicer“ by as much as tens of percents. According to expectations meat, milk products and also bread should cheapen. There is a rumour that the fall in prices of agricultural raw materials is fifty percents, at a level of 2006. The same prices as three years ago are not only in cereals and milk but even also prices of meat are getting near then prices. Prices of raw material decrease practically all the time already from last year´s spring. Trade chains reduced prices on shelves at the time when the first information on thinning of their incomes came into the world.

South-Bohemian farmers increased meat production, on the contrary in CR it decreased

Farmers from South-Bohemian region increased meat production in the first three quarters of last year. They supplied 43 660 tons of pig, beef meat and mutton on the market which was year-on-year by 2,1 percent more. Henceforward, it keeps a position of the biggest inland meat producer. From January to the end of September they took a share in the nationwide production by one seventh. The Czech Statistic Office reported that in the whole Czech Republic meat production in slaughter weight decreased by 3,1 percents to 299 600 tons. For example meat production was lower by four percents. For many farmers meat production is unprofitable, therefore they liquidate the breeding. In better case, they reduce it.