16 MAY 2019

ICSA beef chairman Edmund Graham has welcomed news that a Brexit package for beef farmers worth €100 million is due to be formally announced today (Thursday).

“ICSA met Commissioner Phil Hogan in Brussels in April and he committed to asking the EU budget commissioner for Brexit funds. We also lobbied Minister Creed repeatedly over recent months to outline the urgency of a payment to the beef farming sector.”

“This will be an important boost to a sector that has absolutely been hammered. ICSA analysis had shown that Brexit was costing beef farmers up to €4 million per week on the prime cattle kill and we strongly argued that these losses could not be carried.”

“There will be some conditions attached to this and we await the detail on this. However, it is important to acknowledge the efforts of the Minister and his officials and also the work of Commissioner Hogan in extracting €50 million exceptional funds from Commissioner Oettinger. The other €50 million is to be co-funded by the exchequer.”

ENDS