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The Czech Agriculture and Food Inspection Authority (CAFIA) protests against statements released by representatives of the Central Potato Association at their press conference held today in Prague. Statements by Mr. František Novák, president of the association, about reputedly insufficient inspection of potatoes on the Czech market are misleading.

The reservations of the association about the number of potato samples inspected are not well-founded. The CAFIA inspectors checked altogether 911 samples last year, coming both from domestic and foreign production. The samples were subjected to an examination as regards their safety as well as their quality. The purity of potato varieties is only one of many criterions the CAFIA monitors at potatoes and in any case it is not a parameter that could threaten consumers´ health. Moreover, long-term results of controls of the purity of varieties give evidence of improving tendency.

The parameter of the purity of potato varieties is Czech national requirement and it is not contained in any directly or indirectly applicable EC regulation. It means that this parameter, determined by the relevant Decree of the Ministry of Agriculture, is binding solely for domestic producers or third-country producers and not for producers from EU countries.

The representatives of the Central Potato Association probably do not realize that since 1 May last year the Czech Republic is part of free trade in the EU countries. Goods that come to the Czech Republic from surrounding EU countries cannot be considered to be an import.

The Czech Agriculture and Food Inspection Authority is an independent supervisory body that does not serve, and even cannot serve, to promote the needs of interest groups and, in any case, to regulate the market.