Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the effect on the Scotch beef sector of the (a) European Commission and (b) Irish Government's emergency support for the Irish beef sector.

Following careful consideration of evidence which demonstrated a sustained period of low prices, the European Commission took the decision to grant exceptional aid to the Irish beef sector. The Irish Government is entitled to provide additional money to match this fund under the same conditions which are linked to rebalancing the sector. At this stage it is too early to comment on what effect this has had on the markets, but my department continues to monitor the situation.