PIGMEAT STORAGE:EUROPEAN UNION member states voted unanimously in favour of a proposal to introduce a private storage aid scheme worth €15 million to help Irish pigmeat producers affected by the recall on pork products.
The scheme, approved at a meeting of experts from all 27 member states yesterday, would allow pork producers to store produce that was prevented from going on the market during the contamination scare.
The meat could then be sold out of storage at a later date, when the market had recovered.
Under the aid scheme, a maximum of 30,000 tonnes of pigmeat can be stored for a period of up to six months.
The level of aid will vary depending on the cut of meat, but the scheme will apply only to meat coming from pigs reared on farms in Ireland not affected by contaminated feed.
Commissioner for agriculture and rural development Mariann Fischer-Boel said: "This is a piece of practical action to help support the Irish pork sector at this difficult time.
"Private storage aid allows producers to put their products in storage at the expense of the EU budget. Doing so helps to prop up the market."
