CAP reform might reduce calf prices

Lower calf prices could hit dairy farmers after CAP reform, because of its impact on specialised veal-calf producers, who are an important export market for Irish dairy calves.

The veal producers are likely to face the biggest decline in direct payments in a reformed CAP, because they have so little eligible land on which to claim new entitlements.

They are seen by Rabobank analysts as potentially the major victims of reform — but CAP reform is not seen as hugely significant for most EU farmers.