The European Union is to establish a private storage aid scheme worth €15 million to help Irish pigmeat producers affected by the recall on pork products.
Member states today unanimously voted in favour of a European Commission proposal to provide aid to Irish pork producers to store their produce.
The meat could then be sold out of storage at a later date, when the market has recovered from the current dioxin contamination scare.
In a statement, the Commission said it had made the proposal “because of the exceptional circumstances and the difficulties that are faced by the Irish pigmeat market”.
The EU-funded storage scheme would only apply to meat coming from pigs reared on farms in Ireland not affected by contaminated feed.
Under the aid scheme, a maximum of 30,000 tonnes of pigmeat can be stored for a period of up to six months. The level of aid will also vary depending on the cut of meat.
Commissioner for agriculture and rural development Mariann Fischer Boel said: " This is a piece of practical action to help support the Irish pork sector at this difficult time.”
"Private storage aid allows producers to put their products in storage at the expense of the EU budget. Doing so helps to prop up the market."
The scheme was backed today at a meeting of experts from the EU member states who vote on management measures for agricultural markets, known as the management committee.
It is expected to become operational within a matter of days, the Commission statement said.
The Commission also said it remained in close contact with the Irish authorities and further measures to deal with the dioxin crisis remain under discussion.
