A new farm support package worth €500 million (£416m) has been “outlined” today by the European Commission (EC), doubling the amount of “new money” advanced to help farmers since September last year when the EC made its first €500m offer.
Although the new package is heavily loaded towards the dairy sector, it does refer to giving support to “other livestock” as part of the planned programme of support.
“Coming at a time of significant budgetary pressures, this (new) package provides a further robust response, and means that the Commission has mobilised more than €1 billion in new money to support hard-pressed farmers,” EC farm commissioner, Phil Hogan (pictured above), said this morning during a presentation to the Council of EU Agriculture Ministers in Brussels.
“Our ultimate goal is to see the much needed recovery of prices paid to farmers, so that they may make a living from their work and continue to provide safe, high quality food for citizens, as well as their contribution to rural areas and rural jobs and the provision of public goods.”
Under a country-by-country listing of available support, the UK is allocated €30.2m (£25.2m) with France due to receive just under €50m and Germany around €58m.
