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Pay Rise for EU Cows
An average cow is costing the EU (and its citizens) nearly $1,000 a year
Europe's cows have apparently been given a pay rise today. It was mentioned on the daily politics that under EU regulations, western European cows will now be subsidised to the tune of $2.62/day (up from $2.20).
So while much of the population sub-Saharan Africa, where agriculture and industry is stifled and frustrated by unfair EU subsidies and/or tarriffs, survive on less than $1 a day, the good old outward looking, progressive EU is paying it's cows nearly three times that! I haven't yet mentioned the fact that it's only the richer western European countries where these subsidies apply, the 10 new accession countries have no such scheme (as it would probably bankrupt the EU).
Meanwhile both the US and EU are making gestures that would seem to show they're making progress in removing these unfair, expensive and anti-competitive subsidies. They're even touting cuts in subsidies and quoting figures like 60% and 70%, but it looks like that might all be 'smoke and mirrors'.
Follow up:
In reality, according to the Guardian, (that bastion of Little Englander Europscepticism):
Oxfam calculated that the US offer would lead to a cut in spending on agriculture from $74.7bn a year to $73.1bn; the EU would not need to cut support by a single euro.
Larry Elliot, Subsidising cows while milking the poor; Guardian 17/10/05
All this time and the mainstream media still try to portray eurosceptics as the ones who are insular and backward? They're having a laugh! (By the way there's more info on Oxfam's view in this paper).