THE Minister for Agriculture, Mr Yates, said last night he was "totally dissatisfied" with the attitude of the EU Farm Commissioner, Mr Franz Fischler, to a request for emergency help for the Irish beef industry.
Sharp cuts in beef export refunds have hit the wintering beef sector particularly hard, depressing prices on the domestic market. Last night, a spokesman for the commissioner said he saw no case for increasing refunds.
Mr Yates is to send senior officials to Brussels today to try to persuade the commissioner to change his mind before Friday's key meeting of the EU's beef management committee.
He said that at yesterday's farm ministers' meeting he had received strong support from the French, Germans and Austrians. He believed that even if the commissioner would not back a general increase it was still possible to agree measures of particular help to Irish farmers.
