Were David Cameron to announce tomorrow that some of the wealthiest
landowners in the country would receive millions in subsidies from the taxpayer,
there would be predictable outrage. Yet, in the form of the EU's Common
Agricultural Policy (CAP), such a programme already exists. The average British
household contributes £245 a year to the CAP, most of which, a New
Statesman investigation has found, is handed to the wealthiest landowners.
Originally established with the intention of supporting small farmers and
reducing Europe’s reliance on food imports, the CAP, which accounts for 43 per
cent (€55bn) of the EU budget, has become a slush fund for assorted dukes, earls
and princes.http://www.newstatesman.com/blogs/politics/2012/09/revealed-how-we-pay-our-richest-landowners-millions-subsidies
