Do the CAP subsidies hurt poor farmers in developing countries?
Yes… and no. CAP subsidies are currently used to export European farm products below their cost of production, which depresses the price of many commodities worldwide and thus prevents poor farmers in developing countries from selling their goods at a fair price. Because of this “dumping”, farmers worldwide can’t make a fair living from their hard work and many face significant poverty (paradoxically the majority of the people who suffer hunger in the world are farmers). However, subsidies are not necessary to be blamed, but rather the global agricultural policies that prioritise food production for export. Subsidies can be a legitimate way to support agriculture, but they are not be used to support food exports. For example, they can be very helpful to support sustainable agricultural production aimed at the EU internal market.
