EU farm ministers last night (30 October) agreed a package of reforms

Date: 31/10/1996

to provide temporary relief to beef farmers and reduce production. The key to the deal was the decision to make an extra 500 million ecu available in direct aid, although there is as yet no indication how this will be paid and where much of the money it will come from. A wide range of reforms, likely to cost more than one billion ecu every year, was adopted.