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French farmers are the biggest group of farmers that is subsidized by EU. For me it is the source of everything what's wrong with farming in EU. Because of sub

by krzyk 10y ago

French farmers are the biggest group of farmers that is subsidized by EU. For me it is the source of everything what's wrong with farming in EU. Because of subsidies they produce crops that are not developed in efficient way (because they will receive subsidy either way). Because of them e.g. Polish farmers are forced to produce less milk than they have ability to - milk producers are given fines if they create to much milk, which is ridiculous.

byroot 10y ago
> Polish farmers are forced to produce less milk than they have ability to - milk producers are given fines if they create to much milk, which is ridiculous. It's the exact same thing in France. It's not uncommon for farmers to dump the milk they overproduced to not get fined. French farmer aren't any less productive than other european farmers, they simply target another quality for the most part.
ddebernardy 10y ago
Just to add to the other answer, which stresses that French farmers are just as productive, the reason EU farmers and their US farmer counterparts get subsidies is geostrategic: if for some reason you end up at war with your food partners, the last thing you want is a starving population. If, overnight, farmers need to start producing twice as much, you want to make sure that it's a possibility. (And yes, it's also soft power when dealing with developing countries.)
CPLX 10y ago
In exchange for this "problem" however the French get the French countryside, which is fucking awesome. When people discuss this issue without at least somewhat acknowledging that motivation it seems hard to take the argument seriously.
- lisael_ 10y ago
  It's very serion, it's exactly the heart of the issue in France. The French countryside is huge (as compared to the urban area) and it's not a wild space, as, say, a big part of the US territory. It has always been cropped. You just can't stop. You have to find a way to keep people working and living in this area otherwise within a decade or two, France is a rainforest. That means paying farmers with EU subsides.

by krzyk 10y ago

byroot 10y ago

> Polish farmers are forced to produce less milk than they have ability to - milk producers are given fines if they create to much milk, which is ridiculous. It's the exact same thing in France. It's not uncommon for farmers to dump the milk they overproduced to not get fined. French farmer aren't any less productive than other european farmers, they simply target another quality for the most part.

ddebernardy 10y ago

Just to add to the other answer, which stresses that French farmers are just as productive, the reason EU farmers and their US farmer counterparts get subsidies is geostrategic: if for some reason you end up at war with your food partners, the last thing you want is a starving population. If, overnight, farmers need to start producing twice as much, you want to make sure that it's a possibility. (And yes, it's also soft power when dealing with developing countries.)

CPLX 10y ago

In exchange for this "problem" however the French get the French countryside, which is fucking awesome. When people discuss this issue without at least somewhat acknowledging that motivation it seems hard to take the argument seriously.

lisael_ 10y ago
It's very serion, it's exactly the heart of the issue in France. The French countryside is huge (as compared to the urban area) and it's not a wild space, as, say, a big part of the US territory. It has always been cropped. You just can't stop. You have to find a way to keep people working and living in this area otherwise within a decade or two, France is a rainforest. That means paying farmers with EU subsides.