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 The EU plans to commit €1bn from the budget of the common agricultural policy to help combat the impact of the global food crisis, by redirecting it to impoverished small farmers in developing countries.
The €1bn comes from a fund known as the ‘agricultural price support fund', which is intended to support EU farmers should they require it but is otherwise refunded to the Member States. The initiative was welcomed by SAAPE, a South Asian alliance of civil society organisations, which said it could save "millions" from falling into destitution and hunger. "On moral grounds, the EU must pay back to small farmers in developing countries the €1bn it has saved by way of farm export subsidies," said Prerna Bomzan, of the group's EU advocacy initiative. Josette Sheeran, Director of the UN's World Food Programme, told Parliament on Wednesday, "The world's poorest farmers are in crisis mode. Some of the most vulnerable people in the world are still in the danger zone so, clearly, this money is urgently needed." Irish MEP Gay Mitchell, who was appointed Parliament´s rapporteur on the issue in July, said: "Some Member States feel that this surplus cash should be returned to them while some members of the budget committee believe that committing such a large amount to the developing world would set a dangerous precedent. But there is support from both the Commission, Parliament and the French presidency of the EU for this surplus to be used to help tackle the global food crisis." Parliament´s Development Committee will vote on the proposal on 7 October. Source: |
