On March 11, 2003 Declan Ganley wrote an article for the American Foreign Policy Institute- titled ‘Europe’s direction? A Voice from Ireland’ - in which he attacked the CAP.
- He argued for the dismantling of the CAP and for zero dependence on farm subsidies.
- He declared that "our very own European Common Agricultural Policy because of its trade barriers and subsidization, will result in thousands of deaths around the world".
- He insisted that CAP structures were highly inefficient.
- He argued for the removal of all of Europe's trade barriers and for unfettered free trade.
- He propounded the view that the EU's decision to spend nearly half its budget on the CAP was "mindless".
Ganley's approach would decimate agriculture not alone in rural Ireland but also in Southern Germany and large areas of France, Scotland, Wales and Sweden. He is arguing for an extreme neo liberal approach which would benefit huge ranchers in the US and Brazil.
Mr Ganley is no friend of Irish agriculture.
2 comments:
There is an important paragraph in the FPRI piece which should be noted.
"The current European structures still impose ridiculous and amoral barriers to free trade. We do this, ultimately at enormous cost to ourselves. Disincentivizing those engaged in farming across Europe by operating a highly inefficient structure that does not provide for any future prospects of a better standard of living or higher incomes. By mindlessly spending over half of the EU’s EUR89bn budget on a common agricultural policy, when a fraction of that capital invested more wisely into those same communities would provide for greater incomes, higher living standards and zero dependence on farm subsidies."
It's not a case of cutting off any and all funds to farmers, it's about using the funds available more effectively and ensuring that farmers all around Europe are free to farm without the restrictions of and dependence on the EU for their living, but rather to become a profitable market driven business. No farmer is happy to be almost entirely reliant on EU handouts.
If Declan Ganley's approach were adopted most farmers in Ireland would be wiped out. Subsidies cut would not be redirected to farmers. Big business interests would siphon off these funds.
You cannot have free trade in food unless there is a uniform level of traceability world wide. Countries such as Thailand and Brazil do not have traceability on a par with that of EU countries.
The US has a huge level of subsidization for large-scale farming.
It has no intension of dismantling these subsidies.
Hence Declan Ganleys approach is reckless.
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