Slovakia: import of vegetables continue to grow

Agricultural news in Slovakia this week: import of vegetables continue to grow, Bratislava will use sheep to battle invasive plants and Slovak beer will suffer the consequences of the lack of barley.

"Imports of vegetables continue to grow although it rots in our fields."

Onion, cabbage, and potatoes are traditional crops grown at the Slovak fields, but they do not necessarily make it onto the shelves of stores in Slovakia. An inventory is huge, but there is a real risk that Slovak vegetables will be rotting in warehouses and fields. It is because retail chains offer more often the products from abroad, which has been confirmed by recent figures. In the first six months of 2019, Slovakia imported 31.5 percent more vegetables compared to the same period last year. Retail chains oppose by saying the reliability of supply is important for large businesses, with smaller farmers not always being able to ensure it. Besides, an important factor for consumers is not only quality or origin but also price, the retailers added.

Source: Slovak Spectator https://spectator.sme.sk/

Bratislava to Deploy Sheep to Battle Invasive Plants in Protected Areas

Bratislava, October 27 (TASR) - The city of Bratislava is to acquire its own flock of sheep, which will be used as natural lawnmowers, TASR learnt on Sunday. The city plans to create a system for regular grazing of
meadowlands in order to prevent non-cultivated and invasive plants
from expanding and covering protected areas. The first such location
where the sheep will be used is an area of grassland called 'Kralova
hora' (King's Hill), which is situated above Bratislava's borough of Karlova Ves, more precisely the part called Dlhe Diely. According to
Bratislava, the natural habitats that have been developing in these parts for centuries, thanks to regular grazing, are currently ceasing to exist due to invasive plants. The city explained that another of its aims is to introduce the traditions of sheep farming to the public.

Source: TASR

Slovak beer will suffer the consequences of the lack of barley. Decreasing sowing areas, fewer crops each year and insufficient quality. This is overall result for Slovak barley - basic ingredient to produce brewery malt. Malthouses have to purchase it abroad, they usually go for those produced in the Czech Republic, France and Hungary. Jana Shepperd, president of Slovak Association of Production of Beer and Malt explains that when there is lack of Slovak barley, malthouse, neither breweries can declare that malt or beer is a Slovak product. Source: Slovak Spectator https://spectator.sme.sk/

Medicine for swine fever in Slovakia: we will lose thousands of boars.

European Union issued a warning before the collapse of the market with pork and call on adopting strict protective measures including the massive shooting of boars. It reacted to threats that African swine fever can spread over all continent. The EU committee said that the population of the boars should be limited to one piece on 20 square kilometres. Estimations said that about 120,000 to 150,000 of such live in Slovakia. About 40,000 of them were shot down this year, but it is far away from the number stated by the committee.
Source: Slovak Spectator https://spectator.sme.sk/