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In the Council debate, Ireland, Denmark, NL, Belgium, Spain all supported the French & Austrian request, noting that the dollar had fallen by 10% in one month and that exporters were facing administrative problems due to the Russian import quota.

Germany said that it did not want export refunds as it would increase budget expenditure, and Slovakia and Poland said the introduction of refunds would cause turmoil on their markets.

In the press conference, Fischler tried to give the impression that the Council was divided on the issue and that there was no clear consensus.

He reminded the media that €33m had been spent on private storage aid and that additional funding was limited. The Committee's approach was to look at the broader market situation and work out whether export refunds would actually bring any relief.

Source: Meat and Livestock Commission - 9th June 2003