Monday’s papers all make some mention of the “whiskygate” stir that flared up this weekend when officials from the State Regional Administration Agency prohibited a company from using the name “beer and whisky expo” to describe its beer and whisky event. Rumours also circulated that private bloggers were prohibited from using the word “whisky”, but this claim was later disproven.
The country’s leading newspaper Helsingin Sanomat reported Monday morning that Twitter was on fire some five hours after the news broke, with the hashtage ”#viski” posted 900 times an hour, or an average of every four seconds, in protest of the supposed clamp down.
Working past retirement
Hesari continues with a story on the growing number of Finns who have chosen to continue to work beyond retirement. Statistics Finland says the number of over-65s working has quintupled since 1990, with over 23,000 reported as gainfully employed in 2012. People are living longer and they are healthier, says a Statistics Finland representative in response to the clear trend. Most of the elderly work in teaching positions, management and agriculture; while others chose to continue in heath care, commerce and office work.
Professor Juhani Ilmarinen, 69, retired from the Institute of Occupational Health in 2009 after a 35-year career. He studied work ability and continues to work as a consultant. He says over 80 percent of Finnish companies now provide their employees with activities to maintain their working ability and well-being. “Middle age has risen in Finland, so work can also go on longer if the employer makes it possible... Research shows that people will continue working for a long time if they feel valued, trusted, are treated fairly and receive support when they need it,” he says. Ilmarinen says the quality of work usually improves with age, as spiritual growth continues as physical stamina decreases. “The best work levels can often be achieved after the age of 55,” he says.
Milk cows for beef
The southwest daily Turun Sanomat leads with a story on the dairy and beef industry, as several shops in Finland have been selling beef at below normal prices recently. The meat industry says dairy farms have been in financial straits due to the Russian ban on dairy imports, but can’t sell their livestock as meat yet. Farms are using up their store of feed now, so if they start culling their herd, it will be in the spring.
MTK agricultural federation expert Jukka Markkanen suspects that the meat that is normally sold to Russia from Europe may be sold to industrial kitchens at discount prices, blocking out domestic supply. Finland’s slaughterhouses deny his theory, saying that restaurant demand has slowed due to the recession, but this hasn’t skewed the market.
Dairy farms in Finland can adjust their production much quicker than their equivalents in other countries because the average age of milking cows is shorter, says meat product manufacturer HKScan’s Veli-Matti Jäppilä. He says that only 27 percent of cows send for slaughter are milking cows at present. The road from the farm to the meat counter in Finland is very short. Jäppilä says that a heifer that walks into his slaughterhouse on Monday is processed already the same day or Tuesday and is in the stores by Thursday or Friday. “The meat we sell is almost too fresh. Choice cuts take six weeks,” Jäppilä says.
Minors in detention centres
Ilta-Sanomat carries a story on protests from human rights groups on Finland’s plans to continue the practice of detaining minors who have been refused asylum. Children between the age of 15 and 18 who arrive in the country alone can be held in detention for a six-day maximum. Resident statistics from the Metsälä detention centre show that 41 minors were held in the facility last year, ten of which with no guardian.
A new 30-bed detention centre, Joutseno, will open this autumn in response to the overcrowding and disorder of the Metsälä unit. Over 440 asylum seekers were held at Metsälä last year. Finland holds foreigners in custody at such centres while they are awaiting deportation or while their identity is being confirmed.
Russian real estate deals = security threat?
And lastly, Iltalehti reports on 'suspicious' Russian real estate purchases in Finland. Since the turn of the 21st century, Russians have acquired ownership of several sites that could be construed to be of primary defence and security importance. For example, Russians have purchased land near land, air and naval bases in different parts of Finland. Some of the sites were slated for development as luxury holiday centres or spas, others were vacant lots, old camp centres and school buildings and forest plots for future retail business. Most of the planned investments have dried up in the meantime, however. One pundit says that Finland has not taken the issue of Russian land acquisition seriously enough, saying that increasing Russian ownership could be a hidden security threat.
