Ireland fights for slower wind-down of EU export refunds for dairy products
France, Hungary, Spain and Italy are among the other countries opposing the Commission's plans, which are based on cutting EU commodity prices, thus moving them closer to world prices, so that less export subsidy is needed to sell European food on the world stage.
This pleases critics of export subsidies within the Commission, who say they allow the EU to maintain higher prices, while 'dumping' excess commodities on world markets. But dairy processors have pleaded for a slower pace of subsidy cuts.
