An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, has said that his Government is “pursuing” a beef compensation package for farmers.

Varadkar was speaking in the wake of an IFA protest outside a Cabinet meeting in City Hall in Cork on Wednesday 1 May. More than 500 farmers made their presence felt at the protest.

An Taoiseach added that his Government had made a submission to the European Commission for Brexit aid for farmers, with a Government source telling the Irish Farmers Journal that the aid would be "significant".

“It’s already the case that beef farmers receive more in income supports and EU subsidies than probably any other business in Ireland,” Varadkar said.

“We have made a submission to the European Commission around what we might be able to do to provide additional supports.”

The IFA is demanding a Brexit aid package worth €101m be provided, with IFA national livestock chair Angus Woods saying that figure should now be increased as months continue to pass and poor beef prices persist.

A Government source has told the Irish Farmers Journal that it has used different calculation methods to the IFA and made its submission for payments more input-based and “farmer-focused”.

“It’s already the case that beef farmers receive more in income supports and EU subsidies than probably any other business in Ireland,” Varadkar said.

The IFA is demanding a Brexit aid package worth €101m be provided, with IFA national livestock chair Angus Woods saying that figure should now be increased as months continue to pass and poor beef prices persist.

A Government source has told the Irish Farmers Journal that it has used different calculation methods to the IFA and made its submission for payments more input-based and “farmer-focused”.

ICSA beef chair Edmund Graham said assistance should reach at least €100 per finished animal and go directly to farmers.

“While we await more detail on the support package sought, ICSA believes that beef processors have made beef farmers carry all of the can when it comes to Brexit instability. Therefore, it is the beef farmer who must be supported by Brussels," Graham said.

European Commissioner for Agriculture Phil Hogan told the Irish Farmers Journal at the weekend that any aid would only be paid after a hard Brexit takes place.