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The Czech government will meet some demands of farmers threatening to protest, the minister of agriculture, Marek Výborný, said. The state plans to increase funding to support animal welfare at livestock farms this year and will next year support rural employment with CZK 2 billion in social insurance discounts for farm workers, he said.

Similar demands were among the five conditions of the country’s Agricultural Association and the Agrarian Chamber for not proceeding with a protest in Prague on March 7.

The decision whether to protest is up to the farmers, Mr. Výborný said.

Saturday should be overcast with a chance of showers throughout the day. Daytime temperatures should range between 7 and 13 degrees Celsius.

The Labour Ministry has finalised its draft pension reform law, the head of the ministry Marian Jurečka announced at a press conference on Friday. It will see a number of changes to pensions as they currently stand, including increasing the retirement age according to life expectancy, setting the minimum pension at 20 percent of the average wage, and early retirement for physically demanding professions.

The opposition ANO party has criticised the plan for reducing the number of jobs that count as physically demanding and have said they want an analysis of the impact of the changes.

Police are investigating a leak of 25 tons of carbon dioxide from a tank in an industrial zone in Cheb as public endangerment due to negligence. The gas leak occurred on Thursday, creating a thick white mist near the ground. Two firefighters were injured during the intervention.

Carbon dioxide is dangerous for humans and can even cause death by suffocation at extreme concentrations. Symptoms of mild CO2 exposure may include headache and drowsiness. At higher levels, rapid breathing, confusion, increased cardiac output, elevated blood pressure and increased arrhythmias can occur.