Features

EU Cheques Cause Third World Poverty

Are farming subsidies in Europe and in the OECD countries contributing to poverty in developing countries? writes David Storey.

According to Dr. Jacques Diouf, Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations, farming subsidies in Europe and in the OECD countries are contributing to poverty in developing countries. Speaking to over 200 diary farmers and media representatives at a conference on diary farming organised by the FAO and DeLavel, he said that attempts to help the world's 840 million hungry to feed themselves were being frustrated by them having to compete with heavily subsidised food from the developed world.

'Each and every farmer in the OECD countries is given an average of 12,000 dollars a year in support, whilst farmers in developing countries receive just 6 dollars per farmer per year', said Dr. Diouf at the conference which took place at the DeLeval dairy research farm in the Swedish town of Hamra some 50 kilometres from Stockholm. He pointed out that the OECD countries transfer some 8 million dollars in official development assistance to developing countries each year while at the same time providing support to their own farmers to the tune of one billion dollars a day.

Calling for greater support for farmers in developing countries, he pointed to the huge benefits that result from even small-scale initiatives. 'By churning out a few thousand litres of milk a day, a single small-scale dairy in a poor country can provide for 400 families', said Dr. Diouf. 'Milk production provides steady jobs for rural people in developing countries because it is by its nature a daily activity.' In the long term it is in the interest of countries in Europe to give greater support to develop the agricultural sectors in the developing world. 'Helping those in the rural areas of Africa to generate a sustainable income for themselves will, in time, create more consumers in the world', says Dr. Diouf. 'They will then provide new markets for European and OECD countries.

'If the 840 million hungry people were to become consumers with real buying power, what a market there would be for industrial good and services from the developed countries.' At two recent World Food Summits it was agreed to halve the numbers of the hungry in the world by 2015. But with present trends this target has little hope of being achieved. 'At present levels of support this goal may not be achieved until 2150', said Dr. Diouf. 'Official development assistance for rural development in the developing world has halved in the last decade.'

Agreeing with Dr. Diouf, Margit Wickborn, a Swedish MEP, told the international gathering of farmers that she was embarrassed about being a representative of the EU on account of its agricultural policy. 'I'm ashamed to be a European and to be an MEP', she said. 'Half the people in the world have to live on only a dollar a day yet in the EU a cow gets two dollars a day', she said. 'Cows get twice as much as people.' Wickborn was also highly critical of EU export policy. 'We should not subsidise exports to developing countries', she said. 'It gives them no chance of developing their own food industry, as they can't compete with the subsidised imports.'

Although she is an elected MEP, Wickborn says she has no power to change EU policy. 'There is a total lack of democracy in the EU administration', she says. 'Decisions are made by officials behind closed doors and the members of the EU parliament are told about it afterwards.'

Add your comment

Your name:
Your email:
Subject:
Comment:
Word verification:
	Post Preview

yvComment v.1.18.3