Summary of newspapers of the previous days – 30.12.2011– 1.1.2012

New genetically modified plants have been allowed in Europe

The European Commission allowed three genetically modified varieties of corn and one variety of cotton plant for food and feed use last week. The genetically modified varieties can be imported, however, their growing is not allowed. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) assessed these varieties as unobjectionable.

Laying hens will have better living conditions in south of Bohemia from January

In the south Bohemia after the New Year, there will be no large-scale breeding of hens without so called enriched cages. All suppliers will have met European legislative by the deadline. The last old laying hens were slaughtered in these days; new ones will be stabled in modernized halls. Ladislav Hanousek from the Regional Veterinary Administration told it. Large-scale breeders had to invest millions crowns in improvement of living conditions of laying hens. Now, they are afraid of import of cheap eggs from abroad where the Union conditions will not be met. The Ministry of Agriculture wants to prevent these imports.

Price of peanuts fast rises, in USA to triple this year

Prices of peanuts rise persistently and gradually they reached a new record. According to the economic sheet Financial Tomes (FT) it happens owing to a lower crop and also drought in main growing areas. The price of peanuts in the United Stated grew to triple this year and exceeds 1200 dollars (about 23 700 CZK) per tonne. In Europe, the biggest world peanut importer, prices rose by about 60 percents this year. A lower crop in more countries unfavourably affects the peanut global market whose annual turnover moves about 18.5 billion dollars (almost 366 billion CZK). It concerns for example India, which is the second biggest peanut producer in the world, and also Argentina, the biggest exporter, and the United States.

Farmers are afraid that year 2012 will be worse that the last one.

A deceleration of economic growth in the Czech Republic, a reform of Petr Nečas´s (ODS) government, and especially increase of VAT for food and growing prices of energies and some input raw materials, that all are the main influences with which Czech farmers will have to cope in the coming year. Moreover, a decisive factor in agriculture is the weather which allowed an above-average crop to farmers this year which will not have to repeat. Therefore, farmers are afraid that the year 2012 will be worse than the last one.