June 22, 2006

EU sets down conditions for poultry industry to receive support

The European Commission's committee for eggs and poultry Wednesday (Jun 20) approved co-financing measures to support the EU poultry market.

The committee specified the type of measures which can be 50 percent financed by the EU.

"Upstream" measures, such as those temporarily reducing production, destruction of hatching eggs would receive financing. The committee also set the maximum compensation to be received at the farm and state level and the time period covered by each measure.

"Downstream" measures such as aid for private storage or the destruction of existing stocks of poultry would not receive support.

14 Member States have applied for EU support and the measures are expected to cost between EUR50 million (US$39.4 million) and EUR65 (US$51.3 million).

In a speech supporting the measures, Mariann Fischer Boel, Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, said the decline in poultry consumption and prices earlier this year was an extraordinary situation which required extraordinary measures.