Common Agricultural Policy is still the way to go

Plans to limit subsidies paid to big farms under the Common Agricultural Policy have won insufficient support in the Council of Farm Ministers.

The farm commissioner thought that the proposals would be popular with taxpayers. Possibly so, but they have always been opposed by UK and Germany, the countries with the largest number of big farms.

The CAP is supposed to be, among other things, about the international competitiveness of EU agriculture, although in practice more attention is given to propping up marginal farmers. Large-scale farms tend to be more efficient and competitive, so if there are to be subsidies, they should receive them on the same basis as everyone else.