Summary of newspapers of the previous day – 19. 1. 2010

EU ministers want to strengthen negotiation position of farmers

All firms, which are a part of food production chain – from farmers to food sellers, have to have the same right to an adequate profit and the Union has to find measures ensuring this. The EU ministers agreed on it in a reaction to a report of the European Commission according to which farmers are disadvantaged within negotiation about prices against large food concerns. The ministers of Agriculture met to discuss proposals yesterday in Brussels which the European Commission brought in the autumn last year in an effort to improve functioning of the production chain in food-industry branch and to strengthen contractual relations between producers and consumers.

Harvest of fruit decreased, there was record in pears and plums

A harvest of fruit in orchards of Czech growers decreased year-on-year by three percents to 178 090 tons. The main reason was a low crop of apples. In comparison with five-year average, the total crop was higher by more than three percents. Last year, a record harvest was recorded in pears and plums. On the contrary, a crop of peaches was very weak. A chairman of Fruit Union of the CR Martin Ludvík told it at Ovocnářské dny (Fruit-growing Days) in Hradec Králové.

Also this year vaccination against “BT” will take place

This year it will be the third year when sheep, goats and cattle will be vaccinated against catarrhal sheep fever or bluetongue – „BT“. Because a supplier of a vaccine for year 2010 is still unknown (a selective proceedings has not been closed yet), meanwhile the vaccination against this disease takes place on base of extraordinary veterinary measures issued by the State Veterinary Administration on the 5th of March, 2009.

Healthy cattle infected with MAP

Healthy-looking pices of cattle in a term of slaughter are often infected with an agent of paratuberculosis - Mycobacterium avium paratuberculosis (MAP). It is a result of study realized in frame of a PhD thesis at the Veterinary University in Hannover. In 28,7 % of 150 analyzed samples of tissues from slaughtered pieces of cattle at age 24 months the presence of MAP was proved without showing evident changes in intestinal section of these animals. They analyzed tissue samples of an intestine (ileum, jejunum) and lymphatic nodus from the area of intestinal section (nll. mesenteriales, nll. caecales).