Farm and industry leaders uninspired by touted €80 million EU agri package

Farm organisation and industry leaders are unenthused by plans for an €80 million aid package for agriculture from the EU.

With a value of up to €80 million, AgriLand understands that the European Commission intends to roll out Aids to Private Storage (APS) for some dairy and beef produce.

Sources have indicated that the dairy aid storage will apply to cheese, butter and skimmed milk powder, while the beef storage aid will be focused on steak cuts.

The APS is understood to be part of a commission aid package for the European agricultural sector in light of the disruption brought on by Covid-19.

Further details of the anticipated €80 million package and APS supports – expected to be distributed across all member states (including the UK) – will be discussed by EU Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Janusz Wojciechowski, and EU farm leaders, via video conference tomorrow, Wednesday, April 22.

While industry sources, as well as farm organisation leaders, have welcomed the touted APS supports, they have expressed misgivings over the size of the funding package – cautioning that such a figure will be “ineffective” in tackling the Covid-19 impact.

Speaking to AgriLand, Tim Cullinan, the president of the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA), said that: “Any supports from the EU are to be welcomed – but quite frankly €80 million is just not enough.”

A spokesperson for the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers’ Association (ICMSA) also told this publication that a new support package with a value of up to €80 million “looks likely”.

In terms of opening the APS, the source said that an implementing regulation would need to be published for this; however, it’s understood that this has yet to be received by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

The spokesperson said: “If the reports are correct – and specifically the amounts speculated are correct – then it will be hopelessly inadequate to the task. Multiples of that amount will be required and will have to be forthcoming.”

The Irish agriculture sector – including farm organisations, Dairy Industry Ireland (DII) and Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed – have been lobbying the commission for an APS scheme since the onset of the virus outbreak.

These efforts have been made amidst a very difficult time for Ireland’s primary producers. The most recent round of milk prices saw reductions across all co-ops; while beef prices have hit worrying new lows.

A spokesperson for the Minister for Agriculture declined to comment on the mooted development.

Stay tuned to AgriLand for further updates on this developing story…