Nod for ewe premium?
Nod for ewe premium?
A NEW flat rate ewe premium of k21 a head (£13), with an extra k1 a head (62p) for a national envelope, seems certain to be approved for 2002 when farm ministers decide the issue on Dec 19.
Last month, six smaller member states blocked the European Commissions plan. These included Portugal, which wanted more money for its milk sheep producers, and Denmark, which said the k70m (£44m) national envelope went too far.
But private negotiations between the Belgian presidency and the agriculture ministries in these two countries have persuaded them to accept the proposal.
Once approved, the UK is expected to get k19.6m (£12m) from the national envelope, based on 1997-99 subsidy claims. DEFRA wants to use this money for a sheep quota buy-up scheme. *