Food Chain Campaign – What’s CAP got to do with it??? FoEE meeting Monor May 2009 Friends of the Earth
Common Agricultural Policy Nearly half of EU budget Subsidies but also many other support measures Significant influence on farming policy and practices Set up in 60s for West European food security after the Second World War Increase production Maintain prices Secure farmers incomes Tariff system protects EU market
Feeding the Beast Until 2005 subsidies ‘coupled’ to the production of livestock products overproduction Price support for products like beef and milk intensive production High prices for certain products without demand from local markets surplus Export subsidies for industry dumping
Feeding the Beast CAP delivered cheap animal feed to factory farms Large payments for cereal production and high tariffs on its import over production of cereals in the UK Zero import tariffs on soy cheap protein from abroad (South America)
Feeding the Beast Structural overproduction & dumping Mechanized, input-heavy and intensive Environmental and social damage in EU and overseas
Feeding the Beast Decoupling, Freeze budget, Less export subsidies…
Still Feeding the Beast Payments still per hectare of land - big farms get most money Historic payments - overproduction is rewarded No environmental and social safeguards - hidden subsidy for intensive production 95% of UK CAP payments allow business as usual Import controls affect production Export subsidies still allow dumping
Buck the System – Fix the Food Chain! £700 MILLION OF PUBLIC MONEY SPENT ON FACTORY FARMING EACH YEAR
Buck the system – Fix the Food Chain!!!
Buck the system – Fix the Food Chain!!!
Food Chain demands Fund disadvantaged sustainable, extensive and grass-based meat and dairy – grassland premium Incentives for home grown proteins – protein crop premium Maximum support for farming that delivers on new challenges like climate change
Food Chain demands Targeted support for farming that delivers for the environment and society Measures to regulate the market to counter corporate pressure Measures to match sustainable production with reduced demand for meat and dairy through awareness-raising programmes and public procurement policy Other measures Eg. tough pollution controls so intensive livestock systems pay the costs of the damage they cause