80% of France's CAP spending goes to big business

By Alex Singleton | 19 June 2005

Today's Observer newspaper points out just how much of France's Common Agricultural Policy handouts goes to big business:

In France today it is the massive agribusinesses that soak up 80 per cent of France's €10.4 billion (£6.9bn) Common Agricultural Policy handout - companies such as sugar giant Beghin-Say, which receives annual payments from Europe of €236m. That money enables Beghin to sell sugar cheaply to developing countries, which ruins their fledgling industries and damages lives.

France is easily the biggest CAP beneficiary in Europe. In 2003, its €10.4bn compared with €6bn for Germany and €4bn for Britain and Spain. In the nine years before that, French farmers received €154bn, compared with €64bn in Britain. And that's not the full extent of the handouts; French farmers also receive substantial support from its government.

France's President Chirac (pictured) is currently refusing to review the CAP. In the interests of European taxpayers and African exporters, shouldn't he help end this economic lunacy?