Brussels announces private storage for pigmeat

By Philip Clarke

PRIVATE storage aid aimed at relieving some of the pressure on the over-supplied pigmeat market will come into effect from 28 September.

The European Commission yesterday (Tuesday) succumbed to member state pressure to introduce the aid. Under the scheme, meat traders will be paid to store pigmeat for either four, five or six months.

Payment will vary according to the cuts of meat stored. Legs, shoulders and fore-ends will receive about 25.7p/kg for the four month option, 28.4p/kg for five months and 31.3p/kg for six months to cover the cost of storage.

An extra condition says that all pigmeat must be exported outside the EU within 60 days of the end of the storage period. The EU Management Committee turned down requests from France and the Netherlands this week for a further increase in export subsidies.