Subsidies For Sale

From Open Europe:

On 20 January a ground-breaking "auction" of EU CAP subsidy entitlements was held in Inverurie in Scotland. The auction attracted over 400 people, with a further 40 people buying or viewing online. The auctions look set to become a regular event with two more planned for 3 and 17 February.

The rules for subsidies are now so stupid, that it is possible for people who have nothing to do with farming, to buy the right to them. This is the unseen result of cutting the link between production and subsidy.

Farmers who have retired or moved abroad since 2002 can still claim subsidies - often up to tens of thousands of pounds - provided they rent a hectare of land and meet the European definition of a "farmer" at the time of transfer.

It doesn’t matter how you change the system, free money attracts vultures. The only option is to scrap the whole thing.