The industry

...as a result of the merger the market structure will not change substantially, competition will not be reduced, and no dominant position will be created or strengthened in any of the markets in which the parties to the merger operate...lsm.lv

This year AS "Latvijas valsts meži" once again also obtained the status of "Family-Friendly Workplace" under the Society Integration Foundation programme. lvm.lv

xtv.lv · mz7B6BOg7XE 27 12 2025 saimnieks zeme valsts 1 dala
xtv.lv · 20Gyx3ko7vE 27 12 2025 saimnieks zeme valsts 2 dala
Saimnieks. Zeme. Valsts

The wood-processing company SIA "Softwood", which specialises in producing wooden packaging materials and pallet blanks from local timber resources, has secured 150 thousand euros of "Capitalia" funding for the company's development.db.lv

In Latvia the law only prohibits being a beneficial owner, an official or a co-owner, but simply being an employee does not count. So, by turning a blind eye to questions of an ethical nature, a person can work in any other position for two years and formally no problems are identified.inc-baltics.com

This summer, I would say, was a phenomenal year for spruces in particular, because things were rather grim for all the farmers, a lot of things were drowning, but this greenhouse effect works very well for us, when there is both rain and sun.lsm.lv

In the forest

When a bear tears apart a sizeable wild boar, a white deer and a lynx on the doorstep. Forest news #20youtube.com

Invasive species are not merely "foreign animals". They often arrive in new territories together with all their biological "baggage" – parasites included. A recently published scientific study describes a new skin mite of the Demodecidae family, Demodex procyonis, found in a population of the invasive raccoon (Procyon lotor) in Poland.latma.lv

...the growth of forests on agricultural land and the shift away from traditional farms has left many riverside meadows unmanaged. The situation has also been affected by Green Deal policy.apollo.lv

The Natural History Museum clarifies that the animal spotted is a fallow deer – an animal that should not be found in the wild.delfi.lv

During the process we have identified matters, which we are recording, that ought to be done differently. As the process is not yet finished, they are more or less sitting in notebooks. lsm.lv

In order to establish the actual circumstances of the case, a commission for an internal investigation was set up at the municipality. On the basis of the commission's opinion and the rules on the disciplinary liability of municipal police officers, three disciplinary proceedings were initiated within the municipal police. lsm.lv

Worth knowing! On upcoming and current events

On 17 January a seminar at Smiltene Technical School, "Ask your land drainage specialist!"smiltenestehnikums.lv

A survey on coexistence with large predatorssondages.inrae.fr

Officially

In developing a vision for the strategic development of the forest sector, the Forest Sector Development Guidelines for 2026-2050 have been drawn up and submitted for a first public consultation, and a strategic assessment of their environmental impact has begun.zm.gov.lv

Hunting

Although the study is global in scale, its conclusions are especially significant in the European context. European hunting systems are characterised by strict legal regulation, science-based quotas, ongoing monitoring systems and control mechanisms. In such conditions hunting is not an end in itself, but an instrument of wildlife management.latma.lv

The economy

As already noted, deep poverty among working residents of Latvia is slightly less widespread than the EU average. Things are different for pensioners – the situation is not catastrophically bad, yet we are below the EU average.investoruklubs.lv

The letter states that without putting state-owned enterprises in order, stagnation will continue and tax increases will become inevitable in the future.db.lv

...during 2025 the Regulator has taken a number of decisions that undermine economic competitiveness, prioritising the profits of monopoly companies over the country's economic development.db.lv

The environment

The upgrading of the nature trail was completed at the beginning of December. The trail was cleared of fallen trees, and a completely new viewing platform, entrance gates and information boards have been built.lsm.lv

The plant we found has narrow leaves which, if you look closely, are velvety. This little tuft has not grown lush; the plant is a few dozen centimetres tall. lsm.lv

Trends indicate that, along with climate change, Northern Europe is becoming a more popular travel destination, and so Riga too is considering advertising for the first time to audiences in Southern European countries, where summers have now become too hot.delfi.lv

What should larger and smaller farms do? How can they adapt to prolonged periods of drought? Which crops could we not grow before, but can now?lsm.lv

Sustainability and the weather

...the tool helps anyone to choose sustainable fish according to the state of their populations. For farmed fish species, meanwhile, the origin of the feed and the impact of farming on the surrounding environment are also taken into account.lsm.lv

Miscellaneous

Latvia's best results, as reported previously, are in the field of work, with a score of 77.6 points (3rd in the EU). This is mainly linked to the high level of employment among women and men overall, where Latvia scores 91.0 points.delfi.lv

One in seven residents of Latvia aged between 15 and 74 has attained a basic school, primary school or even lower level of education, according to Central Statistical Bureau data for the third quarter of this year.la.lv

A couple of years ago, Šubrovskis and Jansons also took the initiative of addressing an open letter to the public media, calling for a greater variety of Latvian music on the country's radio stations. There really is plenty of it, some of it excellent and recorded to a high standard, but the second and fifth channels of Latvian Radio ignore it, picking only a small part of it and avoiding any broadening of the range of music on offer.delfi.lv

Tourists come to small provincial towns for entirely different reasons ... To enjoy the cosy life of these towns, where nothing disturbs you and where the locals feel good. nra.lv

...some are disillusioned, realising that their imagined picture of the West does not match reality, yet many simply find it boring to discuss questions of economic or social policy. There is not really anything to say, because it is not their niche. satori.lv

And once again more than one notion of a rural cake that I have formed over many years is broken – the filling will not be some jam that has been standing in the cellar, but freshly made preserve from frozen rhubarb from this summer.lsm.lv

Current affairs in cartoons

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