European Union

Commission unveils proposed new farming measures

Article published on the 2008-05-20 Latest update 2008-05-20 16:21 TU

Farming in Europe
(Photo : AFP)

The European Commission unveils recommendations today for further reforms of Europe's farming measures, known as the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). For years, the reforms were mostly aimed at trying to reduce chronic over-production. Now, with food prices rocketing worldwide, the EU wants its farmers to produce more.

"One of the biggest ironies about this is that, just as we're getting to the step where the EU is really taking this whole question seriously in trying to reduce the amount of money that is spent on agricultural subsidy, we're entering a world economy in which food prices are rising so fast," Robin Shepherd, a specialist on European Union affairs at Chatham House think tank in London told RFI.

As world policy makers contemplate the real possibility of a world food shortage, "the risk is that we might go too far and actually undermine the agricultural producers in Europe on whom we depend strategically as much as anything else," he added.

The Commission's proposals focus on phasing out milk quotas, and scrapping rules on keeping land idle. It also wants to reduce handouts to the biggest farms and redirect the money towards rural development.

France, Europe's biggest farming power, has led a battle in recent years against growing calls by Britain to reduce farm spending, which uses up 40 per cent of the EU's budget.

France argues that agriculture is a strategic sector, which cannot be left unaided to react to supply and demand.