From Open Europe Bulletin, 17 February:
Retired farmers continue to collect CAP subsidies.
"This month the Scottish Executive published details of CAP payments to farmers for the first time. The Scotsman reported that recent reforms mean that nine people living outside Scotland who have retired from farming received a total of 177,000 pounds in 2005. (3 February) Aberdeen Press and Journal reported that Scottish Water received 170,000 pounds, part of which was an annual premium for a sheep flock sold off in 2002. A deer farmer from Auchtermuchty was quoted saying, "It seems to me that this is the scandal to beat all previous Common Agricultural Policy scandals. It is widely known that there are hundreds of retired farmers who are nominally renting naked acres on barren hillsides that they neither visit nor do anything with and getting huge sums." (14 February) The third 'auction' of Single Farm Payments - the first of which have allowed people to bid for subsidies sold at around 2.5 times their value - is due to take place on 17 February, and a fourth on 3 March."
No comments:
Post a Comment