The European Commission is finalising the procedure to provide exceptional aid of €50 million to Irish beef producers, who are in difficulty because of low prices, a source confirmed on Friday 24 May.
European Commissioner for Agriculture, Phil Hogan, acknowledged the particular difficulties faced by Irish farmers, who are facing a disrupted market due in particular to uncertainties regarding the UK's exit from the EU.
The measure is expected to be approved shortly in an EU Management Committee and will provide immediate financial support to Irish beef producers, thereby reassuring and stabilising the market. The aid will be paid from the EU’s agricultural budget (market measures) and may be increased to a total of €100 million via support from the Irish authorities.
The Commission is thus responding to a request from the Irish Government. Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, leader of Fine Gael, recently reported that the government had “listened” to farmers and agreed that “the price of beef is very low and the cost of production is higher than the price that they can achieve”. This issue gives even more credibility to the fact that Phil Hogan has the support of Leo Varadkar for a second term as Commissioner in the next Commission. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)