Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney looks set to add Exchequer funding to the €13.7m support received as part of the emergency aid package for European farmers, the Irish Farmers Journal can reveal.

Earlier this month, the European Commission confirmed a package of €500m for European farmers to support them through the difficult market situation. The supports were aimed at dairy, pig and grain farmers.

Minister Coveney negotiated the securement of €13.7m for Irish dairy and pig farmers but it has now emerged that the Minister will use Government funds to top up this payment. It is as yet unclear as to how much the Minister will add to this figure but he has the option to 100% match it with Irish figures.

The Minister announced at the first dairy forum on Tuesday that he had gone through the formal procedure of applying to the Commission for permission to add State funds to the package.

The Minister expects to hear on Thursday if he has the go-ahead for this, but EU Agriculture Commissioner Phil Hogan has already publicly given support to individual member states adding their own funds to the package.

Flat payment

There was support at Tuesday’s forum for a flat payment for all farmers regardless of their herd size as a way to cut down on the adminsitartive burden of dispensing of the funds. A package of €13.7m would deliver €765 to 17,500 dairy farmers and 400 pig farmers.