Ing. František Chlad, Smetanovo nám. 87, 570 01 Litomyšl, tel.: 0464/615293, tel.: 0603/218 413, j.chladova@worldonline.cz
Administrator : Ing. František Chlad
Board of Administrators: Ing. František Chlad, Ing. Jarmila Chladová, Ing. Jiří Hejl, Ing. Miroslav Vraný, Josef Janský
2001 was the Litomyšl regional centre's first year, which brought the necessity of creating a system in the RC's actvities, necessary organisational settings, contacting regional members, and elaborating a financial balance sheet. A positive fact is that, as early as in the first year of its existence, the RC started all planned activities needed for good and efficient running of the RC (meetings, Interest Groups, advisory, 2 small grant-supported projects, a seminar, educational activities and promotion of ecological farming and organic food). One year in operation is a short period and so we are still encountering problems of more participation from the side of farmers in the region. We have been gradually gaining trust though, and the farms are begining to turn to the RC with ideas regarding common solutions, advice and getting information. Further extension of the RC's activities and services is quite limited by our financial situation. Improvement of the small family farms situation is one of the difficulties,

Organic bread from K+K company in Blansko. Photo: Radomil Hradil, Pro-bio archive.

as well as flexibility and possibility of financial loans, extension of arable land, extension of the portion of required non-traditional crops and processing produce from small ecological farms.

List of events:

22nd April: "Earth Day" in Litomyšl - introducing the RC to the public, an organic food tasting was organised as well as a stall-sale of organic products from ecological farms.
1st September: exhibition of organic food with information on the PRO-BIO Association activities and with stall-sale of organic products from the Tůmas family farm from Dědov in Bystré - all within an important international event entitled Cultural Village of Europe.
21st - 23rd September: assistance in presentation of the PRO-BIO Association at Harmonie in Prague.
3rd October: at the request of the School of hotel services in Hronov we organised an exhibition of organic food in Arnika hotel in Špindlerův Mlýn at the II. Festival of "hotel training schools"
30rd October - 1 November: a two-day specialist seminar in Deštné v Orlických horách at the Domov mountain chalet which is the base of Mr. Povolný's ecological farm.
· The Litomyšl RC applied for four grants to the Partnership Foundation, out of which two applications were successful
· Regional work meetings were held in February in Ústí nad Orlicí and in August in Litomyšl
· The Litomyšl RC was involved in the Interest Groups project for 2001 in three districts - Svitavy, Rychnov nad Kněžnou and Ústí nad Orlicí.
· Consultations for Association members are carried out continually - according to need (via mobile phone, fixed phone lines, fax, e-mail), eventually through a personal visit to a farm on the basis of prior arrangement. During the year the Administrator made personal contact with nearly all members in the region. The most frequent questions regarded practicalities relating to administrative work demanded by the KEZ inspection authority.

Interest Groups
Out of the total 32 RC Litomyšl members (23 farms, 9 retailers and producers) 13 farms applied, with 16 points approved by the Ministry of Agriculture. Support within the Interest Group was then obtained by 8 members with 9 points. At a points-value of 20,000 crowns and acknowledged normative costs of 180,000 crowns the subsidy amounted to85,518 crowns.