No decision has been made yet by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) as to whether national funding will be provided to top up a financial-support package for farmers from Europe.
Last week, the European Commission announced that it would make €500 million available to support farmers and food producers across Europe who are impacted by rising inputs costs.
Ireland’s slice of this pie is worth €15.8 million but the opportunity is there for state funding to bring this amount close to €50 million for our farmers.
The Commission explained:
“It will be exceptionally possible to complement this EU support up to 200% with national funds.”
However, the DAFM has told Agriland that no decision on this has been taken as yet.
“The European Commission announcement was made on Wednesday March 23 and the minister is currently examining ways to “best mobilise this support as soon as possible”, including the appropriate level of national funding, a spokesperson said.
The DAFM said the decsion will be announced when finalised but gave no indication of when that will be.
According to the Commission, member states must notify the Commission no later than June 30, 2022 of the measures they will take, their intended impact, and the criteria for granting the aid.
A statement from Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue, stated:
“I will be examining ways to best mobilise this support, taking account of the detailed requirements and conditionality attached to this exceptional aid provision. The EU package also includes plans to deploy market safety-net measures to support specific markets, including private storage aid for pigmeat.”