Excellent: President Pavel supported the steps taken by the government towards farmers

Commercial presentation Update: 04/02/2024 17:49
Issued by: 2/04/2024, 17:49

Prague – President Petr Pavel supported the steps taken by the government towards dissatisfied farmers. Minister of Agriculture Marek Výborný (KDU-ČSL) told journalists after today’s joint meeting. It was about the current situation in the Czech and European agrarian sector that Výborný and Pavel talked the most. According to the minister, the president suggested that the surplus grain production in Europe, which farmers complain about, should be moved to third countries. Výborný also reiterated that he will not fulfill one of the farmers’ demands, i.e. the return of the land tax to the level before the consolidation package. According to him, this tax in the Czech Republic is slightly above the European Union average.

“I must say that I am glad that Mr. President supported the steps that we are taking as a government (towards farmers),” said Výborný. According to him, this year the government will add 550 million crowns to the welfare of animals, and next year it will support employment in the countryside with two billion crowns through discounts on social insurance. However, the land tax will not change, said Výborný.

According to the minister, a study by the Institute of Agricultural Economics and Information shows that before the consolidation package, the tax on agricultural land in the Czech Republic was the tenth lowest among EU countries, after which it moved to the 15th place. “The information that we have the highest land tax in Europe is far from true,” he added.

He also spoke with President Výborný about the situation on the commodity market, for example with grain. “Among other things, Mr. President mentioned the possibility of using European production as part of development aid to third countries. That would also be one of the ways to cope with the grain surplus,” Výborný said. According to him, they also briefly touched on food prices or the amendment to the Hunting and Forestry Act. “Mr. President sees the two amendments very similarly,” said the Minister of Agriculture.

Výborný also said that the Ministry of Agriculture is preparing two packages to help farmers, one legislative and the other non-legislative in nature. “I would like it if we were clear on that (packages) by the middle of the year,” he said. However, according to him, the office does not postpone some matters that can be dealt with immediately. For example, he mentioned the abolition of the obligation to submit a certificate of debt-free status for investment subsidies.

CR Agriculture Pavel Excellent AUDIO OPENER