“EU support for farmers does not go far enough” – Chris MacManus MEP

Sinn Féin have said the European Commission’s plans announced to support the agricultural sector do not reflect the gravity of the situation faced by farmers. 

Sinn Féin MEP Chris MacManus, who sits on the EU Parliament’s Agriculture Committee, said, “These announced supports go nowhere near far enough. Allocating 80 million EUR predominantly for private storage aid will not provide price stability as Commissioner Wojciechowski has stated. 

“Sinn Fein and others have been calling for exceptional measures such as private storage aid since the outbreak began. However, it needs to be part of a broader approach to protecting food security and the livelihoods of farmers. 

“We have known since the outbreak began that we were facing a severe decline in demand across the board that would have a profound impact on agricultural markets. It is unacceptable that it has taken this long for the Commission to take such limited action. 

“Farmers across Ireland and Europe will be extremely concerned that the Commission seems to not recognize the scale of problem the corona outbreak poses to food security and the agricultural industry”. 

ENDS