PRO-BIO ecological farmers on an excursion to their colleagues in Saxony, a goats-cheese processing plant. Photo: Zdeněk Perlinger, Pro-bio archive.

Brtnická 360, 407 78 Velký Šenov, tel.: 0413/391 251 tel.: 0602/235 098, fax.: 0413/391 252, zemspolvs@volny.cz
Administrator: Zdeněk Perlinger, tel.: 017-32 26 354
Board of Administrators: Petr Zacharda, Jan Crha
The RC works in regions with a high percentage of ecologically farmed land. This means a high percent of areas of sustainable grass growth, although there are numerous farms cultivating in the order of tens to hundreds of hectares of arable land. A sales coop has been established in the region, specialized in sale of our main product - beef. Regarding other organic products - grain crops are sold through trade organisations, meat is sold via the sales coop or wholesalers and the rest (poultry, mutton, cheese etc.) is sold from the farms.
The Regional Centre arranged an after-harvest line and storage of organic produce at a private company which operates commercially, another after-harvest line has been in operation at a school farm belonging to the Secondary School of Agriculture in Dalovice. Within the RC activities we also established a consumer group.
At present 86 farms (ca 50,000 ha) use the Regional Centre's services, including enterprises from Northeast and Šumava RCs. Each farm needs the advisory service approximately 2 - 3 times a year, either visiting the Regional Centre or inviting the advisor to the farm, or by phone enquiry.

Priorities of 2001

---	Saxon ecological farmers on an excursion to Czech colleagues from PRO-BIO, Mr. Emil Stašák's Údrč farm. Photo: Zdeněk Perlinger, Pro-bio archive. Meetings and individual visits to farms - no difficulties, a research sent to farmers confirmed that two meetings within a year suited them. The meetings are divided - because of the considerable size of the region - into Western meeting (in Dalovice) and Northern meeting (in Babiny), while other events are organised together. Apart from consultations via telephone, 105 personal meetings with individual farmers were held in 2001.
---	Foreign visits - quite strong interest from Bavarian and Saxon ecological farmers from Gäa and Bioland associations was blocked by a ban on accepting foreign visitors to Czech farms (SLAK), which was only cancelled after the Germans could no longer organise their excursions.
---	RC member excursions - our farmers visited the Biofach exhibition (ca 20 people), took an excursion on the topic "Goat-breeding and organic cheese-production" in Saxony (ca 15 people) and visited specialist agricultural school in Regensburg with ecological days at Horsch company (ca 10 people). All other planned events (eco-agrotourism in Saxony and Bavaria, Old Bavarian Ecological Farms, Pig-breeding in Sasov) were postponed until 2002.
---	"Interest Groups" programme - was not successfull - we did not achieve this subsidiary title, there were difficulties in submiting two projects under one ID (Business Identification Number) which for the year 2002 has been solved by combining with the Agrarian Chamber in Ústí nad Labem who will submit our project for the North and cover it with their own ID.
---	Organic produce marketing - the Northwest ecological coop has been extending its activities, improving quality of products (protective atmosphere packing), a contract was agreed on organic feeding of cattle in the West (Škarda farm). After-harvest treatment and storage of grain crops produced in the region were combined, which helps and simplifies the trade organisations and their sales. Thanks to the Regional Centre, organic vegetables came into the region - promotion of ecological farming has increased by extending the range of products. Lack of potatoes confirmed a growing consumer interest in this commodity.
---	Agrochemical testing of soil - samples from ecological farms were taken preferentially, i.e. namely from farms of the former Northbohemian Region.
---	International cooperation - cooperation with the Saxon Gäa association has intensified and 2001 was the first year of particular cross-border cooperation with a regional branch of the Bioland association in Bavaria.