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Commissioner Phil Hogan presented yesterday to EU Agriculture Ministers the details of the €500 million support package announced last week to support European farmers.
All 28 Member States will receive substantial aid worth €420 million in total, allocated in a fair, targeted and effective way to address problems in the dairy and pigmeat sectors, while allowing Member States maximum flexibility in targeting the aid.
Reflecting the significant drop in dairy prices over the past year, which has affected all EU producers, the vast majority of the total amount - 80 % - is allocated on the basis of MS milk quotas in the last quota year. In recognition of the particular factors and even a combination of such factors, the remaining 20 % is allocated on the basis of criteria that ensure additional assistance for farmers in those Member States which have been particularly hit by the fall in p igmeat prices, the impact of the Russian ban, very low milk prices and this summer's drought. Reflecting this, the distribution key used to calculate the national envelopes is designed to be fair and, in a spirit of solidarity, to provide a top - up for tho se Member States most affected by those further negative circumstances which many of you have raised, including the fall in pigmeat prices, the summer drought and the on - going impact of the Russian ban.
Other measures include new Private Storage Aid schemes for dairy and pigmeat and the possibility of advancing direct payments. In relation to the PSA scheme for pigmeat, to ensure the success of the scheme some of the low - value cuts have been including. In this light, the scheme will be extended to fresh lard, responding to the proposal that some of the so - called 'fifth - quarter cuts' should be included.
Tuesday september 15, 2015/ EC/ European Uion.
