Comparative strategies and efficiency analysis of milk production chains in different EU countries

The reforms of the EU dairy sector raise concerns about the further functioning of the sector at the EU and regional level. The objective of this paper is to evaluate the total efficiency of milk production chains in different EU countries in relation to the business competitiveness obtaining strategy applied. There are different strategies applied among the countries. The most value adding oriented dairy industries are in Spain, Belgium and Italy, but the dairy industries of Ireland and the United Kingdom are the most outstanding representatives of cost leadership. On farm level also different strategies may be observed. Comparing the efficiency levels for the whole milk production chain, representatives of the both main strategies are present - the Netherlands and Ireland with their cost leadership strategy and also Belgium with its value adding strategy. When to evaluate the labour efficiency, Spain, Belgium and also Italy demonstrate a strategy based on the use of labour intensive higher value adding approach, whilst the Netherlands, Ireland and Belgium, also the United Kingdom, Germany and Sweden seem to maintain higher capital intensive cost efficiency strategies

Development of Agricultural Market and Trade Policies in the CEE Candidate Countries.

This synthesis report focuses on the evolution of agricultural market and trade policies in the Central and Eastern European (CEE) candidate countries in the period 1997 to 2001. The developments were crucially influenced by (OECD, 2000a): ⢠the situation in world agricultural markets; ⢠the overall macroeconomic development in the countries considered; ⢠the prospective EU accession; ⢠bringing domestic agricultural policy in line with the Uruguay Agreement on Agriculture (URAA). High 1997 agricultural prices on world commodity markets were followed by a marked depression in 1998. With the exemption of milk products this trend continued in 1999. Likewise the economic and financial crisis in Russia had a considerable impact on agricultural policies. It hit the regions´ exports resulting in a decline in industrial as well as agricultural output1. Thus, compared to the previous years most of the CEE candidate countries experienced a slow down or even negative rates of growth in their Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 1998 and 1999. In addition those countries felt increased budgetary pressures. Agricultural market and trade policies largely reacted to these developments. Border protection was increased in many countries in 1998. This was combined in some cases with export subsidies, and ad hoc producer aids to mitigate the adverse effects. The prospect of EU accession also had an influence on the agricultural policy design in the region with many countries implementing EU-type policy instruments. Thus, the importance of per hectare and per head payments increased in the region, quota like measures were implemented in some countries and as part of this development Estonia introduced tariffs for agro-food imports. Finally, many countries also continued to adjust their policies to comply with their commitments agreed to in the World Trade Organisation (WTO). Despite these general tendencies there are also differences in the development of agricultural policies between the various CEE candidates. Chapter 2 therefore provides an overview of the changes of agricultural market and trade policies in each of the 10 accession countries. It addresses the policy issues market access (e.g. tariffs, special safeguard measures), export subsidies (value and quantities) and domestic support (intervention policies, direct payments, input subsidies, production quotas). Chapter 3 provides a brief assessment of recent policy developments in the region in the light of EU accession and WTO commitments. The development of prices and values, e.g. export subsidies, agricultural support expenditure, were presented in the background papers provided by the country experts in current prices in national currencies. In this synthesis report they are in addition converted in Euro. This firstly allows for a better comparison among the CEE candidate countries as well as between those countries and the EU. Some of the accession countries still suffer from high inflation and thus a strong depreciation of their currency. Thus secondly, the conversion to Euros allows the comparisons to be made in real terms.Industrial Organization, International Development, Productivity Analysis,

Settling velocity and total ammonia nitrogen leaching from commercial feed and faecal pellets of gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata L. 1758) and seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax L. 1758)

The physico-chemical characteristics of particulate wastes of Sparus aurata and Dicentrarchus labrax were investigted. Changes in dimensions, settling velocity and total ammonia nitrogen (TAN) leached from commercial feed pellets was investigated after soaking. Also, the settling velocity and TAN leached from faecal pellets of these fish were assessed at 15 and 25ºC. The settling velocity of feed pellets was influenced positively by pellet weight and negatively by immersion length as a result of changes in pellet dimensions after soaking. The settling velocity of faecal pellets was determined by pellet weight. The experimental design did not allow identifying any consistent effect of water temperature on settling velocity. TAN leaching over time from feed and faecal pellets was successfully explained by means of a first order kinetic equation. For feed pellets, water temperature significantly affected the speed of the process and the time at which the maximum TAN leached was reached, but did not influence the maximum TAN leached. Leaching was related to feed pellet size, so the smaller the pellet, the higher the leaching. TAN leaching from faecal pellets was greater per unit weight than in feed pellets. However neither water temperature nor fish species influenced on TAN leaching from faeces

Effects of weekly feeding frequency and previous ration restriction on the compensatory growth and body composition of Nile tilapia fingerlings

[EN] The effect of different weekly feeding frequencies on Nile tilapia fingerlings of 2.02 g, was determined during 12 weeks. This was done by feeding the fish 7 days/week, 6 days/week or 5 days/week. After this restriction feeding period, all fish were fed as the control group (7 days/week) during 26 days to study the capability of the fish to compensate the growth during this re-feeding period. At the end of the feeding restriction period, there were significant differences in weights among the different treatments, although the significance was detected only at 7 days/week level, which presented the highest final body weight compared with the other 2 treatments. The daily feed intake and the feed conversion and protein efficiency ratios did not present significant differences. Crude protein efficiency (CPE) and gross energy efficiency (GEE) were affected by the feeding frequency, presenting high values in fish fed 7 days/week. Growth results obtained during this re-feeding period indicate that weight gain (WG) and specific growth rate (SGR) presented a linear increase from 7 to 5 days/week, i.e. with increasing feed deprivation period the fish could compensate the growth effectively, trying to reach to the weight as those of the control group.El Sayed Aly Hassan, T.; Martínez Llorens, S.; Moñino López, AV.; Jover Cerdá, M.; Tomás Vidal, A. (2016). Effects of weekly feeding frequency and previous ration restriction on the compensatory growth and body composition of Nile tilapia fingerlings. Egyptian Journal of Aquatic Research. 42:357-363. doi:10.1016/j.ejar.2016.06.004S3573634

Latvijas lauksaimniecibas politika: procesi, problemas, risinajumi

Summary in English, RussianAvailable from Latvian Academic Library / LAL - Latvian Academic LibrarySIGLELVLatvi

Directing Claim towards Enterprise Shares

Bakalaura darba tēma ir „Piedziņas vēršana uz uzņēmejsabiedrības kapitāla daļām”. Autors izvēlējies šādu tēmu, jo uzņēmējsabiedrību kapitāla daļas ir kļuvušas par nozīmīgiem civiltiesiskās apgrozības priekšmetiem un piedziņas vēršanu uz uzņēmējsabiedrības kapitāla daļām ir viena no iespējām kā panākt likumīgā spēkā stājušos nolēmumu izpildi. Darba mērķis bija apzināties pašreizējo piedziņas procesa regulējumu un analizēt praksē esošās problēmas, piedāvājot priekšlikumus procesa uzlabošanai piedziņas vēršanā uz kapitāla daļām. Darba rezultātā autors secina, ka praksē pastāv vairākas nepilnības piedziņas vēršanā uz uzņēmējsabiedrības kapitāla daļām, piemēram, tiek noteikts neatbilstošs kapitāla daļu novērtējums, kļūdaini veikta kapitālu daļu apķīlāšana, un vienlaikus norāda uz nepieciešamajām izmaiņām normatīvajos aktos un praksē.The work theme is „Directing claim towards enterprise shares”. Work actuality is based on that enterprise shares has become a significant circulating capital and directing claim towards enterprise shares are one of the way to reach adjudication performance. The aim of the research was problem analyses related to directing claim towards enterprise shares and give proposition how to improve these process. As a result of research author has concluded that there are several imperfection in directing claim process, for example, executors perform inadequate appraisement and incorrect shares liens and author also points to necessary changes in normative acts and practice

Bailiff status and responsibilities in Latvia

Desmit gadi, kopš tiesu izpildītāji praktizē Latvijas teritorijā kā brīvās juridiskās profesijas pārstāvji, ir pietiekams termiņš, lai izvērtētu šāda modeļa plusus un mīnusus. Darba mērķis bija veikt esošā tiesu izpildītāja statusa un atbildības analīzi Latvijā un sniegt priekšlikumus esošās situācijas uzlabošanai. Kā nozīmīgāko secinājumu pētījumā darba autors min faktu, ka pastāvošais tiesu izpildītāja institūta modelis Latvijā rada neproporcionālu un nesamērīgu tiesu izpildītāju noslodzi, kas vienlaikus ir par pamatu virknei citu problēmu. Atslēgas vārdi: tiesu izpildītājs, brīvā juridiskā profesija, tiesu izpildītāja atbildība, uzraudzības iestādes.Ten years since the judicial officers in Latvia practicing as a independent legal profession is an adequate period to assess the model pros and cons. The aim of the research was to do analysis about status and responsibilities of judicial officers in Latvia and give proposition how to improve existing situation. As the main result of research author mentions the fact that the existing judicial officers status in Latvia creates a disproportionate and excessive burden on a few judicial officers, which also is the basis for a number of other problems. Keywords: the judicial officers, independent and liberal status, judicial officers responsibilities, judicial officers supervisors