THE European farm ministers are expected to recommend that £400 million be diverted from EU agriculture funds to Europe's beef farmers, when they meet in formal session in Killarney today.
The ministers are expected to decide to use the money to offset losses estimated to be £7 billion in the past six months.
The meeting has been held against a background of growing concern over Britain's stance on the BSE crisis and its refusal to carry out a selective cull of 140,000 cattle.
The Agriculture Commissioner, Mr Franz Fischler, appeared to be losing patience with the British on the suspension of the selective cull on Sunday night when he said the Florence agreement must be adhered to.
He did not deviate from that stance yesterday or following his meeting with the British Agriculture Minister, Mr Douglas Hogg, who seems equally determined that the cull should not go ahead.
There was some common ground however between the two sides that more scientific examination of the BSE problem is required before the ban on British beef products is lifted.
Mr Fischler said yesterday that every step away from the Florence agreement was not a step towards lifting the ban on British products.
On the other hand, Mr Hogg said that the selective cull would not in any way speed the eradication of the disease by 2001 as predicted by an Oxford computer study.
He rejected any suggestion that the British had torn up the Florence agreement or that Britain was holding up the resolution of the crisis.
The Minister for Agriculture, Mr Yates, is adopting the stance of the honest broker between The Commission and Britain. He told British journalists yesterday he wanted to see a regional solution to the British crisis under which Northern Ireland beef would have its ban lifted.
The extent of the impact of the beef crisis, described as the biggest crisis in the EU since its foundation by Commissioner Fischler yesterday, was quite visible in Kerry yesterday.
The Irish Farmers' Association has plastered the whole area with posters highlighting their problems right up to the gates of the Hotel Europe where the meeting is being held.
Today, an estimated 10,000 protesters are expected in the nearby village of Fossa where two mobile kitchens, six chip vans, 30 portaloos and parking for 40 coaches and 3,000 cars has been set aside.
The IFA is throwing huge resources into the protest rally early today, about a half a mile from the gates of the hotel.
Yesterday the IFA leader, Mr John Donnelly, accused the British of holding up a resolution to the BSE crisis and he urged the farm ministers to get agreement on the outstanding issues.
Other issues to be discussed later today by the farm ministers will include the question of labelling all EU beef so the farm of origin can be identified as being BSE free.
The labelling will also specify that the animals have been reared in a drug free environment and in proper animal welfare conditions.
Mr Yates said he would also be seeking funds for promoting beef consumption but such a promotion could not work properly without a proper labelling system.