THE Minister for Agriculture, Mr Yates, will meet the EU Agriculture Commissioner, Mr Franz Fischler, early next month to try to agree a rescue package for the European beef industry.
While the Commission has made wide ranging proposals on how to handle the crisis, the proposals must be ratified by the European farm ministers when they meet in Killarney late next month.
Irish farm organisations have been attempting to modify the proposals, especially those which limit the weight of stores being allowed into EU intervention.
The farmers are claiming that limits proposed by the EU will mean that up to 50 per cent of Irish beef cattle will be ineligible for EU intervention and this will mean a further glut of animals on the market this autumn.
Irish farmers want special intervention regulations for Ireland which will cope with the situation here, which differs from other European countries.
They also want an easing of the strict regulations put into place as a result of the beef tribunal which involve carcases being deboned at plants other than the factory where the animal is slaughtered.
The Irish farm organisations are also unhappy with the Commission's proposal that calves be slaughtered under to days of age.
Instead they want the Commission to compensate them for the slaughter and destruction of old cows, which they say will have a major impact on cutting surplus beef supplies and over quota milk production.
The French farm organisations are supporting such a move but the UK is opposed to a "cull cow slaughter plan and says the plans put forward by it to the EU are sufficient.
Meanwhile, cattle prices are continuing to fall at marts and factories and buying for the live export trade in Egypt has been very slow.