Summary of newspapers of the previous day– 2. 4. 2009

Klaus signed law thanks to which farmers will obtain 1,3 billion CZK

Czech farmers will obtain 1,3 billion crowns for evening-up of direct payments. The novel enabling the transfer of this sum from the Land Fund incomes of the CR was signed by the president Václav Klaus on Wednesday. The norm also enables to the Subsidiary and Guarantee Rural and Forestry Fund (PGRLF) to support from own money farmers´ operational costs. “The novel content is the transfer of 1,3 billion crowns in the Ministry of Agriculture budget so that they would be used for supplementary payments”, had already said the Minister of Agriculture Petr Gandalovič as a co-author of the parliamentary draft law.

Giant fusion in agriculture: Babiš´s Agrofert bought firm Agropol

A huge fusion in agricultural and food-industry sector happened in Czech agriculture. Its value moves in billions crowns. The company Agrofert owned by a billionaire Andrej Babiš bought a firm Agropol. Just Babiš conf irmed it to Hospodářské noviny. It is dealt with the biggest fusion in the branch of agriculture and food industry. The value of transaction was not published by the participants; it moves in billions crowns. The fusion has been already approved also by the Antimonopoly office, however, with some limiting conditions.

Significance of agri-biotechnologies for EU and Czech Republic

A speech at a press conference on the 1st of April 2009 on GMO. Genetically modified crops have been grown and used in the world agriculture for already 14 years and with their dynamic development became the fastest adopted technology in agriculture at all. Last year, these crops were grown in 25 states of the world on acreage 125 million hectares. Their safety and benefits for farmers, the environment and in its substance also for the final consumer were clearly proved. Development of this technology goes rapidly forward in the world, unfortunately not in Europe which had been until recently a symbol of advanced science and progress for the rest of world.

European consumers will find more ecologically friendly products in shops

The European Parliament approved with an overwhelming majority a draft of novelization of two European regulations today which was successfully negotiated by the Czech presidency. “European costumers will come at much wider spectrum of certificated ecologically friendly products and also a share of firms which in their management emphasized protection of the environment will increase”, the Minister of Environment Martin Bursík commented the voting. The basis of novel of regulation on European system eco-marking with a logo The Flower is, above all, a faster creation of criteria for products and goods and simplified processes in case of application for an ecological mark of the European Union.