Summary of newspapers of the previous day – 12. 10. 2009

Cows end abroad or in slaughters

Farmers in the regions Zlín reduce numbers of dairy cows owing to low buy-out prices. They either sell them or send them in slaughters. They have got rid of almost 2500 cows over the last year. It results from an inquiry of the Agrarian Chamber of the CR. According to experts, this trend will continue. Killing herds can in consequence mean an end of dairy cow breeding in Bohemia and Moravia. It is dealt with a nationwide problem. “It has already got in a state that farmers stop to believe in a turn-over and start to get rid of cows. In a better case they sell them, mostly abroad, in the worse one they send them in slaughter”, a president of the Agrarian Chamber of the CR Jan Veleba presented.

Sugar market reform

Briefly: EU sugar regime has worked in almost unchanged form since 1968. Member states came to a conclusion that a reform is essential. The European Commission suggests a reform reducing buy-out prices of sugar and sugar beet, a cancellation of an intervention system, and decrease of national quotas.

Vine-growers Union will appreciate viticulture for innovation

Czech vine-growers have a chance from this year to get appreciation not only for its wine but also for the whole enterprise. The Vine-growers Union announces the first year of competition Vine-grower of the year. The aim is to choose the best viticultural firm which in its enterprise in the branch exceedingly positively deviates from a row of others. It was presented by a secretary of the Vine-growers Union, Martin Potůček. A winner will be announced in March when Wine salon (Salon vín) takes place. Among others, the main criteria of viticultural evaluation will be an approach to the production, a technology of Czech grapes processing, and the wine production.

Record rape harvest in Germany

Rape growers reached till this time the best harvest results this year. After the first official estimation the rape crop (6,2 mil. tons) exceeded a last year´s result by 20 %. The Oil and Protein Plants Support Union (UFOP, Unie na podporu olejnatých a proteinových rostlin) presents as a result besides enlargement of growing above all increase of yields on average to 4,24 t/ha which represents an accrual by 12 %. The present highest yield 4,1 t/ha was reached in 2004. Rape profited mainly from favourable weather conditions. For a fungi disease caused by Leptosphaeria maculans temperatures were too low during a long and cold winter.