Summary of newspapers of the previous day – 28. 1. 2009

Law will better protect trees outside forest

„Now it is just so called a vegetation repose period when cutting trees growing outside of forests is allowed. However, in many cases trees are cut which did not have to be cut“, Eva Tylová, a directress of Czech Inspection of Environment (ČIŽP) told at yesterday´s press conference. According to her some small municipalities are too little competent to judge a health state and a value of tree and generally they allow cutting. Nevertheless, also authorities of bigger towns, which should be able to judge necessity of intervention, also allowed some tree cuttings.

ACH: CR has one of the lowest agricultural productions per hectare in EU

The Czech Republic has one of the lowest values of agricultural production per hectare in the European Union. According a survey ordered by the Agrarian Chamber (ACH) only a share in Baltic states and in Slovakia is lower. The president of Agrarian Chamber Jan Veleba said to journalists. Bulgaria and Romania were not included in the survey. Moreover, the inquiry evaluated the state in 2006, however, according to Veleba the numbers are still valid. For example in production per hectare Finland is almost double; in Belgium five-folded. According to farmers it proves that their situation is not favourable.

Food prices will reputedly fly up

Last year´s food crisis has by far not ended; experts suggest massive investing in agricultural production. The world face again a real risk of a fast fly-up of food prices, if governments do not adopt immediate measures which would react to impact of climatic changes on agriculture and decrease of water reserves. It results from conclusions of a study which was published by British Royal Institute of International Affairs. For this reason there is a real risk that sometimes in the future “a food shock” will happen which will hardly impact especially on countries depending on import and generally on the poor population through the world.

Import of milk products in the Czech Republic grows; farmers want to export

Still more and more milk products from abroad gets in the Czech Republic. Over last five years their share increased by seventh to 27 percents. Representatives of the Agrarian Chamber (ACH) said it to journalists on Tuesday. According to them, the situation of Czech milk producers is generally bad. Buy-out prices are lower by two crowns than farmers´ costs. Some of them consider sale of production abroad where prices are higher. The Chamber admits that there is no space for Czech milk in Germany and Austria now. Despite the fact it warns that after reduction of supplies in the CR some local dairy works can go under.