Search

Population health and food safety is one of the main priorities of the agro-industrial complex and the economic policies of governments. This is also reflected in the health safety of the meat in the event of infectious diseases. Food safety policy is linked to public spending by the state, which also takes responsibility for the health of the population. This paper deals with the analysis of the economic impacts of the Mad cow disease (bovine spongiform encephalopathy - BSE) occurrence in Czech Republic, namely the financial compensations to the farmers whose herds had been affected and the costs of animal killing and carcass disposal in the rendering plant. The data were obtained from the Ministry of Agriculture of Czech Republic, the State Veterinary Administration and the Czech Statistical Office. Original scientific research reflects the period from the first occurrence of the disease to the end of 2019. Between February, 2001 and the end of 2019, a total of 1 977 881 cows were examined and 30 cases of the BSE were detected. Consequently, 4243 cows in cohorts were killed and their carcasses were safely disposed of. The total of the compensations in this period reached EUR 8 013 000. Of these, 80.6% (EUR 6 458 000) were compensations for the value of the killed animals, 12.7% (EUR 1 020 000) for the related costs, i.e., killing, safe disposal of carcasses and the examination for the BSE, and 6.7% (EUR 535 000) for the losses due to non-materialised production. The costs associated with the payment of compensations are therefore significantly lower than if the real effects of the disease on the health of the population were affected. The fact that in the last 10 years the disease has not occurred in the Czech Republic corresponds to the improving situation in EU countries, so the Czech Republic has been recognised as BSE negligible risk country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the article is to highlight certain trends in Bulgarian agriculture. The article is based on representative empirical information from the Farm Accountancy Data Network (FADN) and Farm structure survey (FSS). Changes in land use are registered with a significant impact on the development of land relations in our country. The results reveal processes of different nature and express the effect of the dominance of the Community agricultural policy on the economic conjuncture for the development of agriculture in our country. The dichotomy in the used agricultural area is an expression of increased competitiveness, which is inherent mainly in the production of extensive crops, with the presence of significant features for monoculture agriculture. At the same time, systemic problems in the intensive crops stand out, for the production of which Bulgaria possesses monopoly natural-climatic conditions. These results highlight the role of land relations and reveal/bring out potential opportunities for increasing the importance of agriculture in improving public relations and the socio-economic environment not only in the sector but also in the country as a whole. The Covid-19 challenge creates the preconditions for re-evaluating some existing stereotypes. The results of surveys over the last ten years reveal processes of consolidation of the utilized agricultural area and its concentration in a small number of large agricultural holdings. Extensive crop production is increasing. Intensive production, vegetables, fruit and livestock fall into the group of "vulnerable sectors". The number of small actors is decreasing; the processes of medium-sized ones are unstable. This creates difficulties in establishing sustainable family farms and is a potential risk of depopulation in some rural areas in Bulgaria. The registered processes are in dissonance with the goal setting of the Common agricultural policy (CAP). FADN 2020 reaffirms this trend, as the utilized agricultural area in Bulgarian agriculture continues to grow and monoculture production remains sustainable. The crisis with COVID-19 has revealed a number of problems in the supply of agricultural goods, which is an occasion to rethink the role of national policy to provide consumers with products of local origin and frames the need for cognition in the analysis of complex contemporary socio-economic processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Production and harvest area of cayenne pepper in Indonesia in 2015 were 869 938 tons and 134 869 ha, respectively. This let Indonesia to be ranked first as the country with the largest chili and green pepper harvest area in ASEAN with an average contribution of 96.22%. The price of cayenne fluctuated very sharply with a very large margin. The highest prices that occur at the farmer and retailer level were $ US 4.48/kg and $ US 7.24/kg respectively in March 2017, while the lowest price was $ US 1.03/kg at farmer level and $ US 2.07/kg at retail level in December 2017. Purpose of the study was reviewing supplier performance and designing cayenne supply chain development policies. The research method used data obtained from farmers, chili traders and related agencies. Data analysis utilized Process Hierarchy Analysis (AHP). The results of the study showed the price factor has the highest value because the price of cayenne in Gorontalo Province was very fluctuating following the market mechanism. The policy recommendation for developing the cayenne supply chain which has the highest value and the first priority was the policy of determining the government's purchase price. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]