Agri-Food Funding

Brussels, 9 June 2020

 

Dear Mr McAleer,

I would like to thank you for your letter of 30 April, in which you ask about EU support available to the Northern-Irish agri-food industry during the current COVID 19 crisis.

The Commission has been closely monitoring the developments on the Single Market and has issued guidelines1 to ensure the smooth functioning of the supply chain since the outbreak of the pandemic. Meanwhile, the Commission has taken further measures. The legislative package published on 4 May concerns private storage, exceptional derogation from EU competition rules (applicable to the milk, flowers and potatoes sectors) and flexibility in all sectoral programmes. Moreover, three Delegated Regulations (for wine andfruit & vegetables programmes, private storage aid for cheese) have also been submitted to the scrutiny of the Council and the Parliament. On 30 April 2020, the Commission adopted a legislative proposal to create a new temporary rural development measure, allowing Member States to provide targeted liquidity support to farmers and SMEs that are active in processing, marketing or development of agricultural products.

During the transition period foreseen in the Withdrawal Agreement,2 all instruments of the Common Agricultural Policy apply in the UK, including Northern Ireland3. In practice, this translates into availability, for Northern Ireland, of funds committed under the current, 2014-2020 Multiannual Financial Framework. However, that will no longer be the case once the new Multiannual Financial Framework applies.

Mr Declan McAleer

Chairperson, Committee for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Room 244, Parliament Building

Ballymiscaw, Sormont, Belfast, BT4 3XX

E-mail: committee.agriculture@niassembly.gov.uk; Elaine.Farrell@niassembly.gov.uk

Copy: Mr Maciej Golubiewski, Head of Cabinet of Commissioner Wojciechowski