The European Commission is set to propose the rollout of a Private Storage Aid package for the pigmeat sector, Agriland understands.
The move comes after an extended period of suppressed pig prices across Europe and further afield.
The measure aims to ease pressure on pigmeat markets in the EU and provide EU funding to help cover the costs of storing certain pigmeat products for a given period of time.
The details of the proposed Private Storage Aid package are still to be confirmed. However, Agriland understands that the structure of the agreement would likely be similar to the package rolled out at the time of the Russian embargo on EU pigmeat in 2015/2016.
News of this expected proposal comes ahead of the the first meeting of the European Pigmeat Reflection Group, to be held by the EU Commissioner for Agriculture, Janusz Wojciechowski.
This meeting is set to take place tomorrow (Thursday, March 10) and will see representatives of member state authorities and the pigmeat supply chain attending.
If approved, the Private Storage Aid would be put in place until longer-term solutions are determined.
Further details on the proposal are expected to become apparent in the coming week.
Pig Exceptional Payment Scheme (PEPS)
In other pig-sector news, applications are now being accepted from pig farmers under a €7 million support scheme.
The Pig Exceptional Payment Scheme (PEPS) was established in response to the ongoing crisis in the sector due to a combination of high feed costs and low pigmeat prices.
The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue said that the short-term emergency response aims to avert potential animal welfare issues and help farmers through the “extreme current conditions”.
It will be distributed through a once-off flat-rate payment for commercial pig farmers who have produced more than 200 pigs between January 1, 2021 and December 31, 2021 inclusive.
This includes pigs sent to slaughter, exported or sold commercially from a breeding herd.
The scheme will operate under de minimis regulations, meaning that “only one payment will be made per undertaking”. The maximum payment available will be €20,000.
Applications, which can be emailed to [email protected], will be accepted until Sunday, March 20, 2022.