ANIMAL TECH and National Livestock Show have been officially launched

Praises for the god work of breeders, and calls for greater support for Czech agriculture, but also a choir, a parade of show bulls and awards for the best exhibits. This was the opening ceremony of this year's show in Hall P.

The top guest of the ceremony was the Minister of Agriculture Zdeněk Nekula, who did not spare any praise for the attending breeders and exhibitors. "Although ANIMAL TECH is intended primarily for professionals, I'm sure that the general public will also find something to their liking here, and there are certainly a number of  interesting new products that people can learn about. At the moment, a lot of discussion is going on about precision agriculture, which is very much associated with crop production by the media. On the other hand, I believe that a lot has already been done in the area of animal husbandry and livestock production, and there is huge potential for further development, whether it is in the area of animal chips, sensors or diagnostics. This is also what this year's expo is about," the minister said in his opening address, adding that Czech livestock breeding has a great sound not only at home, but also in Europe and around the world. He also recalled the shift in the field of animal welfare:

"In our country, cow housing in cubicles has fallen to almost zero, today it is only two percent of all the animals. In Germany, for example, it is almost five times as high, with about ten percent of cows still confined to cubicles. We can be proud of where the Czech breeding is moving," emphasized Zdeněk Nekula and thanked all Czech breeders and exhibitors for holding this event.

On behalf of BVV Trade Fairs Brno, the Chairman of the Board of Directors, Tomáš Kratochvíl, greeted everyone present and announced that all halls and outdoor areas designated for this exhibition were completely sold out. "A mere glance at the exhibition areas clearly shows that Czech breeding is on a top level. I would like to thank the Czech-Moravian Breeders' Society and the exhibitors for the great work they have done in preparing this event. The outcome is just great," said Tomáš Kratochvíl.

Jan Grolich, Governor of the South Moravian Region, urged all visitors to support Czech farmers and breeders not only here with admiration for their work, but also in the shops, by purchasing their products. Martin Pýcha, Chairman of the Agricultural Association of the Czech Republic, highlighted the prominent level of this year's event. "There are many championships going on here, and fantastic animals are being shown. We should appreciate the work of breeders more, even those who are not even present in here," he addressed the audience. At the same time, he reminded how difficult the situation of Czech farmers is now – echoes of the economic and energy crisis are still reverberating, the new agricultural policy is associated with a significant increase in bureaucracy, and the biggest problem is the uncertainty about the future development. That is why, on behalf of other agricultural organisations, he promised to do everything possible to help farmers get through this difficult year.

A perfect backdrop for the opening ceremony was created by a quartet of parading show bulls of different breeds. According to Josef Kučera, Executive Vice-Chairman of the Board of the Czech-Moravian Breeders' Society, these bulls are an example of the best that Czech breeding has to offer. "It may seem like just another animal show, but there is a lot of money behind these animals. The Czech Republic is really top in what it produces, and this is reflected in the volume of exports. In the last two years, we have exported more than CZK 2 billion worth of breeding animals and genetic material," said Josef Kučera, who also appreciated the enormous work of breeders in preparing this year's event:

"The National Show of Livestock is not just about animals, but also 60 tons of sand, 270 cubic meters of sawdust, 80 tons of replast blocks, 3 truckloads of straw, 10 trucks of barriers and a kilometer of water hoses.

All of this had to be brought to the Brno Exhibition Centre and installed in the last ten days through joint efforts."

Among the guests at the opening ceremony there were also Karel Smetana, Vice-Chairman of the Agricultural Committee of the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic, Josef Kott, member of the Agricultural Committee of the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic and Chairman of the Subcommittee on Hunting, Fishing, Beekeeping, Gardening and Livestock, and Václav Hlaváček, Vice President of the Agrarian Chamber of the Czech Republic. The end of the ceremony was dedicated to the announcement and handing of prizes for the best exhibits of this year. In total, five ANIMAL TECH 2023 Gold Medals and three ProfiPress editorial awards were handed out.