An extra €200m in funding for emergency support for fruit and vegetables and skim milk powder intervention are included in a revised 2016 EU budget published this week.

The European Commission amended its draft budget for next year to take into account this spending as well as the €500m special support package for agricultural markets that was agreed last month, plus emergency funding for the ongoing refugee crisis. Overall, it increased the budget from the €143.5bn it set in May by €900m, to €144.4bn.

The latest €200m funding is proposed so that intervention buying of skim milk powder, which was to end, can be extended. When added to the €500m agreed at last month’s special farm council, it means that a total of €700m will be spent on supporting agricultural markets, which was not foreseen at the start of the summer.

The main element of the €500m is the €420m targeted aid scheme, divided into national envelopes, with €13.7m going to Ireland. Member states can also double the amounts available using national funds.

The draft budget will go before the EU Parliament for approval later this month.