The new scheme will operate in a similar way to conventional intervention, with slaughterhouses tendering fortnightly. Crucially, the new scheme will also give member states the option to store the meat for sale or to destroy it. This is to counter criticism, notably in Germany, of the ethics of burning animals under the purchase for destruction scheme, most of which are healthy. We just make an offer to buy the farmer's unsellable meat. Like intervention, the special purchase scheme will only operate if cow prices slip below a certain trigger level.
Exact details have yet to be decided.
This would be reduced further by a coefficient to reflect the historic value of cows relative to steers. The amount paid to slaughterhouses would not exceed this trigger level, plus a recognised processing margin. This has been welcomed by Irish farmers' groups, as it means older steers as well as cows will still be taken off the market.