For the three years from 2017 to 2019, farmer supports of one kind or another accounted within the OECD area (the small group of mostly rich countries to which the EU and Ireland individually belong) for 17.6% of total farm receipts.

In the years 2000 to 2002, supports accounted for 29% of total farm receipts and from 1986 to 1988, supports counted for 35% of farmer receipts. These figures are roughly comparable with what has happened within European and Irish farming. Earlier this week, I was glad to receive an invitation to the launch of the organisation’s 2020 review of agricultural policy as well as recommendations for adjustments in individual countries.

While the event was held in its Paris headquarters, I participated by Zoom from home.

Normally, the OECD has been in favour of free trade in agriculture with production shifting to the regions most suited to particular commodities. They always give the impression of barely tolerating policies that support food production, let alone farmer incomes. Nevertheless, their analysis tends to be thorough and carries weight with senior professional civil servants who inevitably end up advising ministers. So what did I learn? First and probably most important, that there is more food available today than ever before, that there are more people obese than undernourished and that since 1960 food production has roughly tripled.

The report acknowledges that we are in a low price environment for agricultural produce – that same sentiment was expressed another way in the recent Farm to Fork strategy document from the European Commission where it was acknowledged that farm incomes have slipped further behind the rest of society.

The vast bulk of support to the EU farmers now comes through direct payments with only about 20% coming through a system of price supports, so EU consumers are now effectively getting food at roughly world prices but of a quality that is becoming more and more sought after on world markets: a fact which is reflected in the ever growing trade surplus earned on EU exports of food and drink products.

Nevertheless, the report criticises the fact that the direct area-based payments have become permanent transfers rather than temporary compensation measures. I don’t in fact ever remember them being designated as temporary but that is by the way. However, the report says their allocation should consider the wealth and income of the recipients and the total household income.

The moves toward convergence and capping are probably as far as policy will go in this direction for the moment.

However, it surely should be suggested that for a group with such formidable analytical capacity that they examine the cost in lost competitiveness for EU agriculture of the extra environmental conditions imposed, as well as the denial of modern technologies despite the urge to be more innovative.

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Dempsey at Large: 90% of EU consumers willing to pay more for food