MP for ODS and farmer in one, Petr Bendl is among those who have long supported small and medium-sized farms and humane breeding systems. According to him, there are still several issues in agriculture – for example, the fact that Czech agriculture does not produce added value. “We often export commodities and import finished products, and this doesn’t only apply to foodstuffs such as milk or meat, but also to wood – we export raw logs and import furniture,” says Bendl, noting that this trend must be reversed to maximize domestic production.
How do retail chains approach this? Farmers often struggle with them.
It’s a tough battle. Whether the food producers are right when they say the chains are extorting them, or whether it's the other way around – with chains claiming that importing is the only way to stay competitive and lower prices. Unfortunately, the number of food producers and manufacturers is shrinking. If we weren’t part of the European Union and didn’t have open borders, our oligopolies would become monopolies. That’s something we’ve been fighting for a long time. The government coalition supports small and medium-sized farms as much as possible. We are trying to reverse the trend from the past, when there was extreme consolidation, with farms and land being bought up by large investment companies.
For the average consumer, price is still key. How do you explain to people that they should rather buy from a Czech farmer, even if the product is more expensive than foreign ones?
It’s always better not to buy from a multinational company but from domestic ones. When you know who makes the product – be it meat products or fruits and vegetables – it’s more reliable. You have a better chance of choosing quality, and the money stays at home.
Where do you shop?
It depends on what I have time for. A certain Czech chain opens when I’m already at work and closes while I’m still at work. But in our village and nearby there are options. In Unhošť you can buy from a local baker, in Dolní Bezděkov you can buy meat and sausages from a local farmer. The number of people shopping there is growing – and that makes me happy. It’s important to have more competition in the food sector so we don’t shop from oligopolies trying to convince us the nation can't survive without big companies. In Slovenia, the average farm size is seven hectares and they’re much more self-sufficient in food than Czechia. The same goes for Poland. Austrians average twenty hectares and are nearly fully self-sufficient. We average 130 hectares per farm – and our self-sufficiency is between 60 and 70 percent. There’s a lot of catching up to do.
What actually led you to farming? Was it the horses?
Yes. I got my first horse and have been working with them ever since. Then I got into beekeeping, and for a while I kept sheep and goats. But I live near Prague, and it’s hard to find people to help – plus Prague is a huge competitor when it comes to wages. So today we only keep horses and bees.
You’ve been in politics for over thirty years. What do you think has changed the most?
Communication with the public. When we started thirty years ago, there was no internet, no social media. Today, we are constantly bombarded with information daily. It’s getting harder and harder to sort through what’s true and what’s not. Fake news with no basis in reality is on the rise. Politics – whether local, regional, or national – has to be much more cautious about this. Jan Werich once said that when one king wanted to call another king a fool, it used to take a while. Today, people know it before you even say it. And he said that before social media even existed.
Elections are coming in a few months. The SPOLU coalition term in government hasn’t been easy – it’s had its hiccups. How do you feel about this period?
It was one of the toughest we’ve experienced. Considering what’s happening to the east, south, and west of us. There’s Russia’s attempt to return to its old borders – which ties into the energy crisis, among other things. The Russians were likely preparing the strike for a long time – and I think the West underestimated it. The conflict in Gaza is also a major global issue. Then there’s the situation in the United States – which, under Trump’s leadership, is changing a lot of things we used to take for granted. The current government had to and still has to deal with all of this. But we managed some things. Two years ago, we sat in Parliament worried that there wouldn’t be enough diesel or gasoline. In the end, we pulled through.
You switch between two worlds – farming and parliament. Do you enjoy it?
It’s my way to unwind. I alternate between physical work and mental exertion. In a way, they are complementary. After hours with a pitchfork and a shovel, your mind is fully clear and can then focus on the issues you deal with in a suit. I call it intense mental training. In the Chamber, you can never fully push your opinion through because only 101 votes hold the truth. So even if you have an idea, you must convince another hundred people to agree with you. It teaches you to compromise. And sometimes those compromises are hard to explain to the public. It’s like at home – a compromise such as “you have to get groceries in the morning even if it’s not convenient,” or the family won’t function.
What reliably calms you down when those compromises get too much and you’re angry?
Guitar. When I can, I go play on Friday evenings at our farm. I can completely relax with folk music. I’ve loved it for forty years – since childhood summer camps. Sometimes I play a good old folk song. People love singing along.
Petr Bendl with his daughter.
You also like cigars and cowboy hats. What do you like about them?
I have several hats. The reasons vary, but mainly it’s because my hair is disappearing – I’m down to so few, I’ve started giving them names. And it’s getting worse. I don’t like my head getting cold – especially on the farm. Plus, I’m always out between trees, horses, in the brush. You don’t want all that mess in your hair. And sometimes it rains. So when you have a good hat with a solid brim, it takes time before it soaks through – and you stay dry. It’s practical – I practically never take my hat off on the farm.
The author is a staff writer for Deník
CV BOX
Petr Bendl (born January 24, 1966, in Kladno) is an MP for ODS, a former minister of agriculture and transport, and former governor of the Central Bohemian Region.
He studied at the University of Mechanical Engineering and Textiles in Liberec. From 1990 to 1994, he worked in the public sector in Kladno. In 1994, he became the mayor of Kladno, serving until 1998. He was also vice-chair of the Czech Union of Towns and Municipalities.
In 1998, he succeeded in the parliamentary election. Two years later, he became the governor of the Central Bohemian Region and resigned from his parliamentary seat. He defended his governorship in 2004.
Between 2002–2010, he was the vice-chair of ODS. In January 2009, he became the minister of transport. After the 2010 election, he resumed his role as an MP. In October 2011, he was appointed minister of agriculture.
In 2014 he was elected to the Bratronice Municipal Assembly, a post he held until 2022. In 2019, he returned to the parliamentary benches, and retained his seat in the following election.
As a songwriter, he released two folk music CDs. He is involved in amateur theatre and is a member of the Všenory Theater Society.
He lives in Velká Dobrá near Kladno. He is divorced and has four children.
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