EU pays out £225m for foot and mouth farmers

23 Aug 01
The government has been granted £225m from the European Commission in what is likely to be the first of many payments to help those affected by foot and mouth disease.

24 August 2001

The funds were agreed after negotiations last week and came amid concerns of fraudulent claims from British farmers.

The EU has to fund up to 60% of all compensation paid by the government, and it is understood to have put aside nearly £650m.

Officials have warned that further claims will be subject to close scrutiny. An initial report from the commission has been passed to the EU fraud investigation unit after it revealed discrepancies between the number of confirmed cases and the number of animals valued for compensation. Valuations of up to £15,000 per animal were not unusual.

Officials have warned that there will be more inspection visits, together with financial audits. 'The final and total amount of the compensation will not be fixed until the commission has further pursued financial and veterinary inspections, and until the member states have introduced their official and final claims,' said a commission statement.

In the same week, the EU granted the Dutch government £24.7m, France £2.1m and Ireland £1.7m in foot and mouth compensation.

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