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Outgoing Commissioner for Agriculture Phil Hogan has said it “will be the greatest embarrassment of all time” if the €100m Beef Exceptional Aid Measure (BEAM) is not drawn down.
“Let me be very frank, this will be the greatest embarrassment of all time if this money isn’t spent,” he told the 2019 Agricultural Science Association (ASA) conference on Friday.
Positive
Speaking to the Irish Farmers Journal, he said the positive thing is that about 75% of the applications are in and farmers have two or three more days to apply.
“Hopefully they will concentrate the minds that this money should be drawn down.
"It’s €100m in financial support for the beef sector at a time they badly need it and hopefully they will draw this money down.
“It would not be helpful to future demands for money in the event of a hard Brexit or in the event of essential support for any agricultural sector if we’re not able to take the opportunity to drawn down the money that’s made available now,” he said.
Beef prices
Given the turmoil in the beef sector at the moment, the Commissioner said there is a possibility in the next CAP for sectoral support for all sectors, not just for a small number of sectors like there is today.
“This is an opportunity to give additional support if a sector is under pressure from time to time,” he said.
When asked if it was possible to have a minimum pricing model for the beef sector, the Commissioner said: “I don’t believe under competition rules we’ll be able to accommodate a minimum price [model].”
SHARING OPTIONS: