No losers with new subsidies, claims Dept of Agriculture

Consumers and farmers will both benefit from the "decoupling" of EU agriculture subsidies which came into force on January 1, the Department of Agriculture has claimed.

In the past, farmers received subsidies based on the quantity they produced. Under the new scheme, future payments will be based on the average of what farmers received between 2000 and 2002, regardless of their level of production.