Why is the EU's farm policy, the CAP, so stuck in the past and hard to change?

Probably because powerful and vested interests are at play in shaping the #FutureofCAP

Here's a few reminders on why it’s time to #WithdrawTheCAP ⬇️ (a thread)
More than 3,600 scientists have said the CAP is a failure in terms of EU’s objectives on #ClimateAction and biodiversity as part of the #EUGreenDeal

“In fact, the proposed CAP is unlikely to meet even its own objectives” scientists said

#WithdrawTheCAP https://www.idiv.de/en/cap-scientists-statement.html
CAP scientists statement

Hotspot in Biodiversity Science

https://www.idiv.de/en/cap-scientists-statement.html
The @EUauditors in charge of making sure taxpayers' money is well spent have repeated said the EU farm subsidies are falling short

In 2018 they said the CAP should be “more environmentally-friendly and more strongly performance-based”

#WithdrawTheCAP https://www.euractiv.com/section/agriculture-food/news/european-court-of-auditors-criticise-plans-to-reform-cap/
European Court of Auditors criticise plans to reform CAP

The EU auditors have expressed clear criticism of the plans to reform the CAP. They said that the Commission's proposals did not meet the demand for a "more environmentally-friendly and more strongly...

https://www.euractiv.com/section/agriculture-food/news/european-court-of-auditors-criticise-plans-to-reform-cap/
A study commissioned by the EU Parliament's own AGRI committee said:

"EU agriculture and food practices are not on the right track to meet the #EUGreenDeal" or #ClimateAction , environmental or health objectives

📊: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/thinktank/en/document.html?reference=IPOL_STU(2020)629214

#WithdrawTheCAP
Around 70% of EU farm subsidies are based on the amount of land farmed

The biggest farmers get the biggest payments

So 80% of that money goes to 20% of farmers

Over 30% of the money goes to just 2% of farmers

#WithdrawTheCAP
https://www.eca.europa.eu/en/Pages/DocItem.aspx?did=53900
Most farms in the EU are small – ⅔ are less than 5 hectares – so they get little EU money

4.2 million of these mostly small farms went out of business between 2005–2016, and were absorbed by bigger farms

CAP doesn't work for small farmers

#WithdrawTheCAP
CAP helps the rich get richer

In Denmark, the country’s wealthiest businessmen collect millions of euro in EU farm subsidies year after year – protected by the agriculture minister

#WithdrawTheCAP https://ekstrabladet.dk/flash/dkkendte/rigmaend-paa-stoetten-helt-uforstaaeligt/8323860
Rigmænd på støtten: - Helt uforståeligt

Læs mere her

https://ekstrabladet.dk/flash/dkkendte/rigmaend-paa-stoetten-helt-uforstaaeligt/8323860
The UK was famous for farming subsidies going to the queen, princes, lords and others among the richest people in the country

In 2016 >20% top 100 receivers of direct CAP payments were businesses owned or controlled by the aristocracy

#WithdrawTheCAP https://unearthed.greenpeace.org/2016/09/29/common-agricultural-policy-millions-eu-subsidies-go-richest-landowners/
Common Agricultural Policy: Rich List receive millions in EU subsidies

People featured in the Sunday Times Rich List raked in more than £10m in land subsidy last year – according to a major Unearthed investigation into the top 100 recipients of direct EU farming...

https://unearthed.greenpeace.org/2016/09/29/common-agricultural-policy-millions-eu-subsidies-go-richest-landowners/
Companies owned by the Czech PM Babiš got >$42 million in EU farm subsidies in 2018

In Bulgaria 75% of direct payments went to only about 100 entities

#WithdrawTheCAP https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/03/world/europe/eu-farm-subsidy-hungary.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage
The Money Farmers: How Oligarchs and Populists Milk the E.U. for Millions (Published 2019)

The European Union spends $65 billion a year subsidizing agriculture. But a chunk of that money emboldens strongmen, enriches politicians and finances corrupt dealing.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/03/world/europe/eu-farm-subsidy-hungary.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage
In Hungary, PM Orban has constructed what @nytimes described “a type of modern feudalism, where small farmers live in the shadows of huge, politically powerful interests — and European Union subsidies help finance it.”

#WithdrawTheCAP https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/03/world/europe/eu-farm-subsidy-hungary.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage
The Money Farmers: How Oligarchs and Populists Milk the E.U. for Millions (Published 2019)

The European Union spends $65 billion a year subsidizing agriculture. But a chunk of that money emboldens strongmen, enriches politicians and finances corrupt dealing.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/03/world/europe/eu-farm-subsidy-hungary.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage
In Czechia, PM Babiš‘s company is one of the biggest agri land holders and receives millions in subsidies

While conflicts of interest are still investigated, the Czech government is opposing any reforms of EU farming policy

#WithdrawTheCAP https://www.politico.eu/article/commission-audit-spells-long-road-ahead-for-czech-pm-babis/
Czech PM Babiš faces long road after EU audit

The billionaire faces a potentially bigger blow in a forthcoming probe on farm funds, transparency watchdog warns.

https://www.politico.eu/article/commission-audit-spells-long-road-ahead-for-czech-pm-babis/
In Italy, EU farm subsidies have made land such a profitable commodity that the mafia has moved from drugs to CAP money, siphoning off millions in EU agricultural funds with often false land leases

#WithdrawTheCAP https://www.politico.eu/article/italian-mafia-arrests-lay-bare-the-scale-of-eu-farm-fund-subsidies-abuse/
Mafia harvest rewards from EU farm funds

Ninety-four detentions look like only the tip of the iceberg.

https://www.politico.eu/article/italian-mafia-arrests-lay-bare-the-scale-of-eu-farm-fund-subsidies-abuse/
A 2015 study for the EU Parliament concluded that the CAP has “paved the way for farmland grabbing as a new class of private landowners with significant capital and often powerful political ties can easily outmanoeuvre smaller farmers”

#WithdrawTheCAP

https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/STUD/2015/540369/IPOL_STU(2015)540369_EN.pdf
In 2018, 25 out of the 46 members of the EU Parliament's AGRI committee (who wrote the EU farming plan that the current parliament voted through) were current or former CAP payment recipients, either directly or through their families

#WithdrawTheCAP https://www.greenpeace.org/eu-unit/issues/nature-food/1224/out-of-balance-industry-links-in-the-european-parliament-agri-committee/
Out of Balance - industry links in the European Parliament AGRI committee - Greenpeace European Unit

For 56 years, European farming has been guided by the European Union’s common agricultural policy (CAP) and the subsidies it distributes to European farmers. The CAP currently accounts for almost…

https://www.greenpeace.org/eu-unit/issues/nature-food/1224/out-of-balance-industry-links-in-the-european-parliament-agri-committee/
As recently exposed by @corporateeurope, the official lobby group for farmers COPA-COGECA active on the CAP also represents massive agri corporations (set up as cooperatives) like FrieslandCampina and Rabobank

#WithdrawTheCAP https://corporateeurope.org/en/2020/10/cap-vs-farm-fork
CAP vs Farm to Fork

The EU’s current model of agriculture directs billions in EU taxpayers’ money to fuel climate change, destroy biodiversity, and even undermine farmers’ livelihoods. While the reform of the Common...

https://corporateeurope.org/en/2020/10/cap-vs-farm-fork
These “farmers' representatives” are for example defending the wealthy by lobbying against a maximum limits on subsidies that was proposed by the Commission, according to internal Commission notes

#WithdrawTheCAP

https://corporateeurope.org/sites/default/files/2020-09/Ares(2019)7032957__2_Redacted.pdf
Curiously, the farmers' union often align with big agri-industries and pesticide giants, for example in opposing targets on pesticide reduction, as @UE uncovered

#WithdrawTheCAP https://unearthed.greenpeace.org/2020/10/12/eu-european-green-deal-pesticide-lobbying/
Agriculture and chemical giants lobby to weaken European Green Deal

Documents reveal agrochemical industry attempts to water down pesticide reduction targets in the European green deal.

https://unearthed.greenpeace.org/2020/10/12/eu-european-green-deal-pesticide-lobbying/
Power grants access. In Brussels meetings on agriculture, it is only the industrial farmer’s union COPA-COGECA that gets a private audience with ministers. Environmental groups have been repeatedly refused access.

#WithdrawTheCAP https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/11/world/europe/eu-farm-subsidy-lobbying.html
Who Keeps Europe’s Farm Billions Flowing? Often, Those Who Benefit

Conflict-of-interest rules are uneven. Influence-peddling is murky. The enormous E.U. subsidy program is built to keep the money moving.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/11/world/europe/eu-farm-subsidy-lobbying.html
The EU Commission’s directorate general for agriculture also carefully follows the advice of these industries

An internal memo shows the Commission's agri boss trying to shoot down most environmental targets in the #EUFarm2Fork strategy

#WithdrawTheCAP

https://corporateeurope.org/sites/default/files/2020-09/2020-01_DG-AGRI_BiodiversityStrategy.pdf
You can follow @GreenpeaceEU.
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