merrion street

The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Simon Coveney T.D. today indicated that the flat rate payment under the direct aid package for the dairy sector will issue to farmers during this coming week. 
Minister Coveney said ‘I am pleased to announce that the direct aid package payment is being issued to all current milk producers this week. This means a payment of €1,395 to each farmer. This support payment originates from a package of measures proposed by the EU Commission in response to the significant price deterioration experienced by primary dairy farmers in 2015, the impact of which has been exacerbated by a superlevy bill incurred in the final year of dairy quotas. The Government here has matched the EU funding and committed an additional €14m”. 
The Minister also confirmed that the additional €800 top-up for those dairy farmers who are successful applicants under the Young Farmer Scheme will issue in early 2016. In addition the Minister also confirmed that he has reserved €1m of the total package for the pig sector and that a final decision on the mechanism for this payment will be made in early January. 
ENDS