Summary of newspapers of the previous day – 9.12.2010

Attitude of ME towards composition of commission of selection procedure for director of Správa NP and CHKO Šumava

A commission of selection procedure for a new director of Správa NP and CHKO Šumava was chosen so that the composition of its members would secure as wider spectrum of opinions and approaches to problems as possible and so that it would succeed to choose the most suitable applicant. A representation of members of non-government ecological organizations is not a dogma. The commission was already sitting in a similar composition in 2008 when the Ministry of Environment (ME) was managed by Martin Bursík. At that time it judged applicants for a post of director of Správa NP České Švýcarsko.

Czech poultry producers want change in legislative regarding to meat cooling

Czech poultry breeders dislike European legislative governing poultry processing. They demand so that poultry meat sold in shops as cooled could be cooled during processing only by air. The Poultry Producers Association informed on it in a press release today. Some, mainly Polish poultry producers, cool chicken in the old way with water. This technology is cheaper which disadvantages domestic producers.

EC: Milk producers will be allowed to associate owing to better prices

Milk producers will be allowed to associate in the European Union in large organizations which will arrange agreements with processors. The European Commission (EC) suggested it today. A producer organization will be able to involve as many as 33 percents of production of a particular member state, or 3.5 percents of production in all the Union. It should improve a position of farmers in negotiation with processors and they could achieve better buy-out process. “These proposals express our intention to learn from last year´s crisis on the milk market”, Euro-commissioner for agriculture, Dacian Ciolos, said to journalists today.

Criticism of intention to cut EU budget

Unions Copa and Cogeca criticize a draft budget of the EU in the agriculture area for the next year. The agricultural and cooperative unions Copa and Cogeca warn against a proposed three-percent decrease of agrarian budget for the year 2011. A general secretary of the union Copa, Pekka Pesonen, stated: “Farmers incomes in the EU decreased almost by 12 % in the last year and arrived at a critical border less than 50 % of average earnings in other branches”.