Ireland is to receive a further €1.3 million from the European Commission to cover the costs of coping with the 2001 outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease.
The payment was agreed yesterday to cover the costs of the slaughter and destruction of animals, milk, contaminated cattle feed and the costs for cleaning and disinfection of holdings.
The contribution, 60 per cent of total eligible costs, have been based on provisional figures provided by member-states, pending the results of controls on the ground.
The Commission also decided to allocate €31.9 million for the Netherlands and €1.3 million to France which had six cases of the disease.
In August 2001, the Commission adopted advance payments for the compensation of farmers for the compulsory slaughter of their animals.
Advances of €355 million were allocated to the UK, €39 million to the Netherlands, €3.3 million to France and €2.7 million to Ireland.
A Commission statement said no final decisions on the financial contributions for this part of the costs have been taken as financial controls are not yet completed.
A report published in March 2002 found that the single outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease cost the Exchequer €107 million, of which €44 million was spent by the Department of Agriculture and Food, €50 million in Garda costs and €13 million to promote tourism.
Tourism was the main loser that year with losses estimated at €210 million in the first six months of the year. The agri-food sector actually benefited from the outbreak by around €107 million because shortages in the UK increased exports by €63 million. Prices paid for animals also increased.
Meanwhile, the farm ministers' meeting in Brussels yesterday was briefed on progress in controlling BSE by Mr David Byrne, the EU Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection.
Ireland, the ministers were told, had 64 cases of the disease so far this year compared to 104 in the same period last year.
The most recent cases were found in herds in Wexford, Cork, Clare, Tipperary, Mayo and Westmeath.