Single farm payment Fischler’s enduring legacy

As EU Agriculture Commissioner Franz Fischler prepares to leave office after a decade presiding over agriculture in the EU, he will be best remembered for the introduction of the Single Farm Payment.

Among the longest-serving agriculture commissioners, Fischler will be remembered as a firm man who knew the industry, wavered very little from his objectives, and grew into a job which he loved over the years. But his contribution to sustaining family farms remains questionable.

He has served during a historic period in the development of the EU, which underwent its largest ever expansion during his term, increasing from 15 to 25 member states, and entering into a World Trade Organisation (WTO) draft agreement.