An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said this Thursday that the €100m Brexit rescue package agreed for beef farmers would be paid within months.
Following agreement from the European Commission to fund half of the scheme, "we need to now work out the details of that but we expect the money to flow to farmers in the next couple of months", the Taoiseach said.
The cost of production is now exceeding the price that farmers can get from the factories
"As Government we’ve been listening to what beef farmers have to say. We appreciate and understand that the beef price is very low and that the cost of production is now exceeding the price that farmers can get from the factories so we wanted to help," he added.
Meanwhile, IFA president Joe Healy said his organisation wanted the funds to be paid to farmers based on the average €100/hd loss on steers and heifers killed since the Brexit referendum.
Slaughtered cattle
"We based our analysis on farmers who had sold cattle – slaughtered cattle – and the losses they had incurred and we feel those farmers need to get that money," Healy told RTÉ's Today with Seán O'Rourke.
The IFA used factory price records for the period September 2018 to March 2019 and compared them to the period from September 2015 to March 2016 prior to the UK referendum, finding a €1/kg drop in bull prices and a 25c/kg fall in steer and heifer prices on average, he added.
"There was an anger and frustration, there was a despair there because of the losses that farmers have incurred," Healy said.
Election timing
Asked about the timing of the announcement days before the EU and local elections next Friday, the Taoiseach said: "If we could have had it over the line a few weeks ago we would have been very happy."
Joe Healy said the IFA was unapologetic in being a lobbying organisation. "I admit that it doesn’t hurt when there’s an election in a few weeks’ time," he said.
Additional reporting by Amy Forde.
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An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said this Thursday that the €100m Brexit rescue package agreed for beef farmers would be paid within months.
Following agreement from the European Commission to fund half of the scheme, "we need to now work out the details of that but we expect the money to flow to farmers in the next couple of months", the Taoiseach said.
The cost of production is now exceeding the price that farmers can get from the factories
"As Government we’ve been listening to what beef farmers have to say. We appreciate and understand that the beef price is very low and that the cost of production is now exceeding the price that farmers can get from the factories so we wanted to help," he added.
Meanwhile, IFA president Joe Healy said his organisation wanted the funds to be paid to farmers based on the average €100/hd loss on steers and heifers killed since the Brexit referendum.
Slaughtered cattle
"We based our analysis on farmers who had sold cattle – slaughtered cattle – and the losses they had incurred and we feel those farmers need to get that money," Healy told RTÉ's Today with Seán O'Rourke.
The IFA used factory price records for the period September 2018 to March 2019 and compared them to the period from September 2015 to March 2016 prior to the UK referendum, finding a €1/kg drop in bull prices and a 25c/kg fall in steer and heifer prices on average, he added.
"There was an anger and frustration, there was a despair there because of the losses that farmers have incurred," Healy said.
Election timing
Asked about the timing of the announcement days before the EU and local elections next Friday, the Taoiseach said: "If we could have had it over the line a few weeks ago we would have been very happy."
Joe Healy said the IFA was unapologetic in being a lobbying organisation. "I admit that it doesn’t hurt when there’s an election in a few weeks’ time," he said.
Additional reporting by Amy Forde.
Read more
Hogan secures €100m fund for beef farmers
Editorial: beef factories must do the right thing on €100m fund
‘Vital’ that every cent of €100m fund goes to farmers
€100m Brexit beef fund ‘important boost’ to sector
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