€17.5m premia aid boost for farmers

Some 25,000 beef farmers will benefit from an extra €17.5 million in premia aid this year.

Minister for Agriculture and Food, Mary Coughlan, announced yesterday that she had received a positive response from Commissioner Fischer Boel to her request for EU assistance to deal with the overshoot of the Special Beef Premium quota.

Ms Coughlan said she had also received agreement for a significant Exchequer contribution.