Britannia Radio

Europe's farm reform off to rocky start

The European Commission's long-awaited proposals to overhaul the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) have left most EU politicians and stakeholders disappointed.
http://www.euractiv.com/cap/europes-farm-reform-rocky-start-news-508298
The EU will never reform the CAP or anything else – it's incapable of self-regeneration
Seven years ago, Tony Blair surrendered a large chunk of Britain's EU budget rebate in return for a radical overhaul of the Common Agricultural Policy. Brussels trousered the money, but the promised CAP reform never materialised.
Now the Commission wants the rest of our rebate, but isn't even pretending that CAP reform is on the agenda. Agriculture will continue to absorb nearly 40 per cent of the entire EU budget, and spending will in fact increase slightly in absolute terms. You don't have to be a Eurosceptic to find the latest proposals outrageous; Euro-enthusiast greenie pressure groups are every bit as angry.
We shall carry on, as we have for the past 40 years, subsidising wealthy French farmers at the expense of poor African farmers. Those self-styled Eurosceptics in Britain who talk of reforming the EU from within should meditate upon our futile 50-year struggle to improve the CAP and search their souls.
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/danielhannan/100110852/the-eu-will-never-reform-the-cap-its-incapable-of-self-regeneration/

EU agriculture policy 'still hurting farmers in developing countries'

Reforms proposed to Europe's common agricultural policy won't do enough to prevent price distortion and damage to farmers in poor countries, trade campaigners say
http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/poverty-matters/2011/oct/11/eu-agriculture-hurts-developing-countries?newsfeed=true

The EU angers the Namibian government
The Namibian government is furious after a hush-hush decision by the European Union (EU) to close its duty- and quota-free markets to Namibian beef, fish and grapes by 2014 unless the country signs a controversial trade pact.
“This is not the way to go,” Trade and Industry Minister Hage Geingob reacted from Washington. “This is not a partnership. By setting an arbitrary deadline the EU is trying to put pressure on us to sign the economic partnership agreement,” Geingob told The Namibian.
http://brussels.cta.int/index.php?option=com_k2&id=6070:the-eu-angers-the-namibian-government&view=item&Itemid=54