The Ulster Farmers’ Union says the package tabled by the EU Commission to alleviate the impact of the EU-wide agricultural crisis is positive but more detail is needed.
Barclay Bell, UFU President, said: “The EU Commission has laid out plans for a €500 million package that would see €150 million allocated as an incentive to dairy producers throughout the EU to reduce production by around two billion litres on a voluntary basis and a total of €350 million in national envelopes for Member States. The UK is set to get just over €30million, which is slightly lower in Euro terms than our allocation from the separate similar EU aid package last September, that can be given as targeted aid to EU milk and other livestock farmers. While this is welcome news, there is still very little detail and we need clarification as to how these schemes will work in practice. However, spread across 28 Member States it is likely that this, while welcome, will mean little at individual farm level – and will certainly not solve all the problems farmers face. The further extension of EU dairy product intervention and private storage aid and updating EU support for the withdrawal of fruit and vegetables will also be beneficial.
“More helpful to farmers generally however will be the announcement by our Minister that Northern Ireland will take up the now agreed EU option to pay 70% of the direct payments which can be paid from 16 October. This increase from 50% is something which the UFU has pursued since our Minister’s announcement at the beginning of July that advanced payments would be made.
“Also, the weakening of sterling against the Euro is likely to provide increased producer prices here, over the coming months as well as deliver on a significant beneficial Sterling/Euro exchange rate for direct payments when it is set this September.
“The EU farm commissioner, Phil Hogan, deserves credit for battling to secure funding for this aid package against very difficult prevailing economic conditions within the European Union. Now that the announcement has been made, we want to see the details fleshed out urgently and we will be pressing to have this money delivered to farmers as quickly as possible whenever funding comes from Brussels,” added Barclay Bell.
