The allocation of EU Common Agricultural Policy subsidies has been released, under the Freedom of Information Act. Who get’s the money? It turns out that the money is not being used to support struggling farmers and preserve a rural way of life. A large chunk supports big agri-business. And top of the list is Big Sugar. I am not a fan of the sugar industry. As I explained in this post, they are cynically poisoning us. They are not very different from the pusher handing out heroin at the school gates. According to the Scotsman, Phil Bloomer, head of Oxfam’s Make Trade Fair Campaign, said:

Export subsidies, like those paid to Tate & Lyle, are the worst of all. They bridge the gap between the EU price and the world price and thereby enable Europe to dump its unwanted produce overseas, undercutting local farmers. In Mozambique, Malawi and Ethiopia, farmers and their families are struggling to survive because of the distorted EU regime.