Brown calls summit on farm subsidies

04 January 1999

Brown calls summit on farm subsidies

By FWi staff

AGRICULTURE minister Nick Brown has called an industry summit on the implications of the impending European shake-up of farming subsidies, according to The Daily Telegraph.

The meeting, which will take place in London next week, will bring together farmers leaders, food industry representatives, consumer groups and environmentalists.

The meeting has been called to take account of Common Agricultural Policy reform scheduled to be agreed by European Union farm ministers in March.

The reforms aim to bring the European Union into line with World Trade Organisation commitments to remove unfair domestic subsidies, export incentives and import tariffs.

The London summit will take place on the same day next week as the European Unions Special Committee on Agriculture meets in Brussels to discuss the reforms.

Farmers leaders are worried about plans to switch subsidy from Britains large and most successful farms to smaller, uncompetitive producers.