Can fair markets give farmers an alternative to subsidies?
As farmers receive an ever smaller share of their income from sales of food products, making them dependent on subsidies, EU politicians suggest strengthening their bargaining power in the food supply chain and increasing their income from the market. Although prices of agricultural produce have tended to fall in recent years, threatening the livelihoods of European farmers, consumers have mostly failed to reap the benefits of cheaper food. Euractiv http://www.euractiv.com/en/cap/can-fair-markets-give-farmers-alternative-subsidies-news-497986 Polish agriculture minister lambasts France and Germany Polish agriculture minister Marek Sawicki accused France of Germany of trying to exert undue pressure on other governments during talks on EU agricultural reform, says Reuters. After the French and German agriculture ministers agreed on the main objectives of CAP in a joint paper published last week, Mr Sawicki voiced his displeasure at an informal meeting of EU agriculture ministers in Bruss
