The next CAP needs new backstops that stop farm payments from heading to fake cows and the ruling class of the Middle East, Fianna Fáil MEP Barry Cowne has said.
Cowen has stated that recent revelations of CAP funds ending up in the pockets of those claiming payment for non-existent cows in Greece and the royal family of the United Arab Emirates make the case for CAP reform – but do not diminish calls for a stronger EU budget for farming.
“There is a legitimate debate to be had about how we spend taxpayers’ money through the next CAP, and those of us arguing for a larger, ring-fenced agriculture budget have a particular responsibility to demonstrate that it is money well spent,” the MEP told his counterparts on the European Parliament’s agriculture committee this week.
“The answer to badly targeted money is not less money. It is better safeguards to make sure that money reaches the people it was intended for.”
Cowen said that the solution to cases of CAP fraud and payments to beneficiaries who not EU residents lies with “capping very large payments”.
“Genuine farmers should not pay the price for weaknesses in the system. We need to fix those weaknesses, not use them as an excuse to cut agriculture funding.”
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