Farmers fear EU proposals will erode incomes

THE biggest shake-up in the history of the EU’s agricultural policy will be proposed in Brussels today by Farm Commissioner Dr Franz Fischler.

It is expected to include decoupling the separation of farm subsidy payments from production and some form of modulation diverting a percentage of farm subsidies, possibly to rural development.

The radical changes to the Common Agricultural Policy would drastically alter the way Europe's eight million farmers go about their business.