Payment of EU emergency dairy compensation fund within weeks

PAYMENT of the European Union emergency dairy compensation fund will begin within the next few weeks, Agriculture Minister Brendan Smith has announced.

Following a decision by the Council of Ministers, the European Commission made €300 million available to support dairy farmers across the EU who were severely affected by the fall in milk prices.

Each member state’s share was calculated based on their milk production in the 2008/2009 year, and on this basis Ireland received €11.5m.