SUBSIDIES : OXFAM POINTS AT EU-US SUBSIDIES FOR CURRENT WTO CRISIS.

Europe Agri, August, 2006

On the eve of the G8 Summit in St Petersburg, Russia, on 15-17 July, Oxfam International published on 11 July a report on EU-US agricultural subsidies, accusing the latter of contributing to the current World Trade Organisation (WTO) crisis.

Referring to Commission statistics, Oxfam International points out that "the vast majority of subsidies are going to the biggest agricultural producers", making a "mockery" of claims that the CAP is "geared toward small farmers and rural development". In 2004, 28.2 billion was paid out in direct subsidies, out of a total CAP budget of 45.6 billion. More than half of these payments were received by the biggest 7% of European agricultural producers. According to these figures, the EU paid its biggest 2,460 farmers on...

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