Lesy SR: We Strongly Reject Any Attempt to Politicise Our Operations

Bratislava, 10 July (TASR) – State-owned forest management enterprise Lesy SR strongly rejects any attempts to politicise its operations, Laura Tettingerova from Lesy SR's press department declared in response to remarks by representatives of the opposition Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) party on Thursday concerning Lesy SR director Tibor Menyhart. "We are a professional state enterprise that manages forests legally, transparently and in the public interest. We are implementing modern control mechanisms, including RFID technology – a contactless system for tagging timber with electronic labels that allows for its movements to be tracked automatically and precisely. Forestry plays a key role in environmental protection, regional development and national stability – it deserves a professional approach, not a political smear campaign," said Tettingerova. Earlier in the day, SaS leader Branislav Groehling and MP Alojz Hlina (SaS) stated at a press conference that Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Richard Takac (Smer-SD) should immediately dismiss Tibor Menyhart from his post due to multiple scandals within Lesy SR. Hlina announced that SaS plans to submit an amendment to the Forest Act aimed at tightening controls over timber dispatch at the parliamentary session in September. mf/df