Summary of newspapers of the previous year – 6. – 8. 2. 2009

Numbers of animals were the latest since 1948 in Czech Republic in December

At beginning of last year´s December numbers of pigs raised in the Czech Republic decreased year-on-year by 19,8 percent to 2,135 million animals which is the latest since 1948. It results from data of the Czech Statistic Office. According to a president of the Agrarian Chamber Jan Veleba, numbers of pigs have decreased permanently since 1997. Increase of imports of pig meat together with weakening crown will lead to increase in pig meat prices. „This number will further decrease, Veleba estimated. According to him, other decrease will be caused especially by this year´s significant numbers of sows thereby reproduction of breedings will be limited.

Wood industry crisis in Vysočina: like in 1930

A significant decrease in harvesting. A lack of consumers´ interest in quality raw material, which means sale of wood deeply below cost. The worldwide affected also forests in Vysočina. It rages in them the same indiscriminatively as what our grandfathers and great-grandfathers experienced in 1930. “We had to decrease harvest significantly because wood prices decreased year-on-year by 32 percents, so roughly at the same level as at the beginning of 90´s of last century”, Jiří Svoboda stated on behalf of management of Lesní družstvo obcí (LDO) Přibyslav. At present LDO Přibyslav belongs among six the biggest forest cooperative in the republic; they farm roughly on six thousand hectares of lands. According to Svoboda several consecutive “plague wounds” hit Czech forestry.

Authorities will obtain new possibility to reduce strongly polluted air

The Ministry of Agriculture prepared a new tool for reduction of high concentrations of dangerous dust in the air. The novel of so called “smog” notice enables short-term reduction of significant emission resources. To current special immission limits for nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide and ground ozone there will be moreover an obligatory value for dust elements PM10. The Ministry of Environment sent the proposal to other departments for remarks and suggestions. Small dust elements have a negative influence on population´s health because they bind carcinogenic substances and get deeply in lungs.

Government will negotiate again amendment of act on forestry lands transfer

The government will discuss again an amendment of act on conditions of transfer of agricultural and forestry lands at its Monday meeting. According the novel a maximal area of forest land which will be allowed to be transfered free of charge to municipalities should be increased from the present 10 to 50 hectares. The government had the material in schedule already this week on Monday, however, the negotiation was interrupted. According to the Ministry of Agriculture the novel should accelerate restitutions of forestry lands and to clear up conditions of possible purchases of forest lands by persons.