EU agrees €280m aid package for dairy farmers

EU officials have agreed a €280m aid package to help dairy farmers hit by falling milk prices.

The move was announced by EU Agriculture Commission Mariann Fischer Boel today as EU agriculture ministers met in Luxembourg to discuss the crisis facing the dairy sector.

Twenty-one member states, including Ireland, had been pushing for the aid following months of protests and lobbying by farming organisations.

The Irish Farmers Association had been warning that dairy farmers were facing bankruptcy as they were being forced to sell their produce for below the cost of production.

The IFA said today's decision is only fair given that European politicians have already provided hefty financial support to the financial sector and the motor industry.