Government aid for UK cattle farmers

Eurofood, Dec 3, 1998

The British government has unveiled an aid package worth 120m [pounds sterling] (ECU171m) for UK cattle farmers. Agriculture minister Nick Brown said that the programme, which will be launched next year, will be partly financed by European funds. All agriculture sectors are suffering a slump, but Brown pointed out that cattle farmers are particularly affected by deteriorating market conditions.

Meanwhile, the government has denied backing down on its proposed Food Standard Agency in the face of mounting pressure from industry. The FSA is intended to protect consumer safety, and consumer groups see the fact that it has been left out of the next parliamentary session as a major setback.