March 11th 2008 - CAP Health Check

Delivered by Derek Clark on 11 March 2008

Tags: EU's future, CAP Health

Any health check needs measurement and assessment. For the CAP I suggest the measurement is Funding and that the assessment is the EU Auditors.

Does the Court of Auditors find the CAP to be healthy when 28.9% of Single Farm Payments have errors?

Do they find it healthy for the CAP to fund farmers not to grow food?

Do they find it healthy to turn farmland over to Bio fuels just when there is a world shortage of cereals?

Do they find the CAP healthy when many genuine farmers, in the UK at least, are struggling to make living?

Do they know that farmers in New Zealand are not now subsidised, - and that they are doing well, - and that only 3 % of them went out of business when subsidies were withdrawn?

It sounds to me that the CAP is very unhealthy indeed, so is it not time to turn off the life support machine and let European farmers make their own way?

Derek Clark MEP Strasbourg March 11th 2008