Single Farm Payment in EU budget turmoil

THE Single Farm Payment (SFP) is at the centre of two years of EU political turmoil now kicking off.

Leaders of the 25 member states will be under intense pressure between now and June to agree the EU budgets for 2007 to 2013.

They will focus on the CAP spending which accounts for nearly half of the EU's annual budget. Nearly quarter of the EU's budget consists of direct payments to farmers, most of which are converted into the SFP this year.