Minister urged to apply for EU aid

Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney was yesterday criticised for failing to apply for emergency aid from the EU’s Solidarity Fund to help alleviate the fodder crisis.

Almost half of EU member states have accessed the special fund designed primarily to assist farmers who suffer hardship as a result of exceptionally poor weather conditions.

Italy has received funding 11 times and Greece five times under the fund which was set up following the floods which affected Central Europe during the summer of 2002. It has an annual budget of €1bn.