Summary of newspapers of the previous day – 15.11.2011

Bee-keepers in Central Bohemian region gained over 3 mil. CZK of subsidies

The Central Bohemian region has provided bee-keepers with more than three million crowns since 2009. The subsidies were determined above all to starting bee-keepers and also for renewal of old unsatisfactory beehives. 68 bee-keepers in the region reached to the regional money throughout the last three years. Markéta Vítková from a press department of Central-Bohemian regional office said it to ČTK yesterday. A starting bee-keeper can ask the region annually for a contribution for purchase of needed apicultural material. However, then he/she has to buy at least three new bee colonies. The biggest interest in subsidies was this year when 109 applicants asked for them. But only 18 succeeded; they shared 220 000 crowns.

Minister of Agriculture Bendl in Brussels: Requirement for obligatory revegetation would take Czech farmers 250 thousands hectares of agricultural land

A question of so called revegetation was one of topics discussed by the Councils of ministers of agriculture and fishery of the European Union in Brussels yesterday. Besides a draft reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) for the period after 2013 the ministers of agriculture of the EU member states dealt also with keeping an instruction on good life conditions of laying hens in member states regarding a ban of unenriched cage systems from the 1st January 2012. The Minister of Agriculture Petr Bendl reminded at the meeting that for the Czech Republic it is priority so that the new CAP would be transparent, simple and mainly able to compete. In this connection he spoke about a proposal to obligatorily earmark 7 % of managed parcels to rest.

CR worries about future of poultry breeders owing to new cages for laying hens

Farmers in many countries of the European Union will not satisfy conditions concerning the size and quality of cages for laying hens by this year end. According to the Minister of Agriculture Petr Bendl, the Czech Republic is afraid of a possible liquidation of Czech poultry breeders. They could be endangered by import of cheaper eggs from countries where norms are not satisfied by contrast to the Czech Republic. The European Commission threatens the “sinners” with sanctions. However, it is a question, how much and when it will hits. According the Commission, the problem that farmers will not adjust cages in compliance with EU norms will concern more than 51 million hens in at least 11 states from 27 EU countries on the beginning of the year 2012. According to Bendl it is non-acceptable that they were not able to approach to the required changes not even in the last 12 years when it is spoken about.

German agrarian export at record level

German export of agricultural and food goods reached in total 27.3 mld. EUR over the first half-year of 2011. German export of agricultural and food reached with 27,3 mld. EUR the new highest level in the last half-year. The export is roughly by 11,2 % higher than in the same period last year. The main cause of this boom is growing tendency of export into third countries. So, exports in countries out of EU-27 increased by 19.2 % to 6.3 mld. EUR. Among the most important third countries there is Russia with 907 mil. EUR (+18.6%), Switzerland (+15.1 %) and the USA (+27.4 %). Also in Saud Arabia (+45.4 %) and Norway (+19.3) consumers showed growing sympathy for German foods and Agricultural products.