The £4.07m worth of aid coming to NI as part of the €500m aid package announced by the European Commission in July, is to be used to support the wider livestock industry, Agriculture Minister Michelle McIlveen has announced.

The proposed package of measures includes assistance to remove calves persistently infected with bovine viral diarrhoea (BVD), a free soil sampling and analysis service, training in business planning by CAFRE and a programme to control endoparasites in pigs.

Making the announcement, Minister McIlveen said that the Department had sought the view of industry and that the measures coming forward had been shaped by the feedback received. “I want to be able to do more for all livestock farmers affected by the recent market turbulence and to help build a stronger, more sustainable and competitive industry for the future,” she said.