MEP slams CAP cash-to-Kosovo plan


5 May 2000



MEP slams CAP cash-to-Kosovo plan


PLANS to help rebuild war-torn Kosovo with money from the EU farm budget have been attacked by Scottish Tory MEP Struan Stevenson.

He told the BBC Radio 4 Farming Today programme it was extremely difficult to explain the decision to his farming constituents suffering the worst farming they have ever experienced.

Mr Stevenson is unimpressed by assurances that the Euro300 million (175m) sum will be taken from marketing and promotional campaigns and will not affect rural development.

He said similar sums would be taken out of the of the Common Agricultural Policy budget for the next five years to help Kosovo.

This comes at a time when there are moves to reduce CAP and the EU moves towards enlargement, said Mr Stevenson.

“If you look at the problems this will cause, together with raiding the CAP budget for Kosovo, its becoming a very difficult political message to get across to our farmers,” he said.

Mr Stevenson more money should be given to sectors of British agriculture which are in need of support.

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