Mr Larry Goodman has confirmed that his Bragenstown Farms received £400,000 in EU funds under a slaughter premium scheme.
The statement issued yesterday said that Mr Goodman, through Bragenstown Farms, had been involved in winter cattle fattening for over 30 years. It referred to the deseasonalisation scheme set up by the EU in 1993 to help overcome "difficulties in factory throughput". "This scheme has been successful and has increased January to June steer slaughterings to approximately 52 per cent with 490,000 steers qualifying this year, and is worth an estimated £27 million to Irish producers. This scheme is freely available to all farmers . . ." the statement went on.
"Bragenstown Farms received £0.4 million in deseasonlisation premium representing 1.5 per cent of the total," Mr Goodman's statement confirmed.
The statement emerged after reports that the 10 largest Irish beef farms were paid some £1.5 million in total under the scheme, and suggestions that a small number of large farmers were accounting for the bulk of EU farm subsidies.
