THE Minister for Agriculture, Mr Yates, announced that Irish beef producers would get Pounds 86 million in EU compensation for losses during the BSE scare.

During a debate on agriculture, Mr Yates said the package was agreed at the Council of Ministers meeting last week and would go a long way towards stabilising the industry.by the slaughter premium was maintained.

It was perhaps inevitable that "consumers throughout Europe would react to the BSE scare by cutting back sharply on beef consumption, particularly after the British announcement. However, his Department and An Bord Bia were working assiduously to restore consumer confidence in Irish beef.

As consumption was unlikely to recover to more than 90 per cent of pre March levels, this would give rise to major problems on the beef market. It would be necessary to review the beef support system to see if it needed to be amended to better suit market needs.

The international market for beef continued to be difficult due to the BSE crisis. While many markets remained open to Irish products, a number of third countries, including Iran and Libya continued restrictions against European beef.

The re opening of these markets was a priority, the Minister said, and a considerable amount of technical data had been forwarded to the authorities in these countries to reassure them of the safety of Irish beef.

Mr Yates said a high level veterinary delegation from Iran was in Ireland to inspect our control system, an important step in resuming trade with that country. He also announced that he would be visiting Libya soon to try to reopen the Irish market there.