Summary of newspapers of the previous day - 5.5.2010

Law updating did not change situation around hemp. Demonstration for legalization will again takes place on Parukářka

A new criminal code in force from the 1st of January this year did not bring anything revolutionary for hemp users. Although, media from all Europe informed about hemp legalization in the Czech Republic, the contrary was the case. Punishments for keeping or growing of hemp and disposal of this drug in a small amount got at the level of offence compared to the last year, however, the situation other remained unchanged. “Any illegal disposal of hemp is criminal and punishable always”, the National Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addictions, the Center of Adictology, and the National Anti-drug Central wrote together in their press statement at this year beginning.

Disputes with regard to cloning of animals for food purposes. Euro-representatives repeatedly stood against cloning of animals for meat

Members of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety expressed disapproval to cloning of animals and sale of their meat in European market at their yesterday´s meeting (May 4). Their attitude runs against a conviction of the European Commission and the Council of EU. ENVI (The Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety) expressed for that cloning of animals and their offspring for food purposes would not be a part of amendment regulating legislative about new foodstuffs from 1997. Instead of that the Euro-representatives asked the European Commission to prepare a separate legislative for the problems.

Instruction for providing financial means in frame of national programs of SFŽO ČR

The Ministress of Environment signed a new Instruction of the Ministry of Environment No. 6/2010 for providing of financial means from the State Fund of Environment of the CR (further only “Fund”) on the 30th of April 2010. This Instruction regulates rules for providing of supports from national programs of the Fund. Particular programs of the support are announced in Appendices of the Instruction.

GMO areas still increase

Growing of genetically modified plants still grows. In 2009, areas in world-wide scale increased by seven percents to the current 134 million hectares. A significant increase of the areas was recorded in Burkina Faso, Brazil and the Republic of South Africa. In 25 countries, the genetically modified plants are commercially used; in 15 countries, the growing areas exceed 50 000 hectares. Clive James, a chairman of directorship of ISAAA (International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications) informed in his annual report in Beijing (China) about a global development of agricultural use of genetically modified plants.