As news emerges that millions of euros from the CAP budget are being directed to the family of the president of the United Arab Emirates, ECVC underlines the importance of securing capping, degressivity, and the redistribution of subsidies in the post-2027 CAP. As the Parliament and EU Council develop their position on the Commission’s proposal, it is clear that the current definition of active farmer is problematic and allowing funds intended to support food production in Europe to be redirected in dangerous and damaging ways.
DeSmog, The Guardian, El Diario.es, and G4Media.ro have published a significant report detailing how the Al Nahyan family, the world’s second-richest family, received over €71 million from the EU CAP budget over six years for farmland it controls in Romania, Italy, and Spain.
At the same time, MEP Veronika Vrecionová (ECR) and MEP Norbert Lins (EPP), Chair and Vice-chair of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development respectively, stated at a recent parliamentary event on degressivity and capping that they have doubts about the use of these two tools.
Hectare-based payments and the flaws in the current legislation are nothing short of scandalous, are not fit for purpose, and betray the farming world that EU institutions claim to defend. The next CAP must be ambitious and include strong market regulation measures to ensure that those working to produce our food receive prices that cover fair incomes. ECVC calls on the Parliament, Council and Commission representatives to ensure this post-2027 CAP includes:
- Subsidy caps must be set at €60,000 per beneficiary. The €100,000 limit stated in the current Commission text is too high and would affect only 0.1% of farms.
- CAP aid must be used to ensure a decent salary for those who grow food and the definition of active farmers must be revised to exclude persons who do not perform agricultural work or have minimal agricultural income, in particular holdings and companies whose actual aid beneficiaries are not farmers.