Biggest ever CAP clawback in France

A 66% reduction in a huge EU fine for CAP over-payments in France offers hope of similar reduction in the €181 million which the European Commission says Ireland owes it for land not eligible for the single farm payment.

However, the 1.1 billion fine for farm aid wrongly claimed in France — by far the biggest bill ever against a country in the EU review of past subsidy payments — shows how serious the Commission is about overpayments.

France, the largest recipient of Common Agricultural Policy subsidies, (CAP), had initially faced a €3.5bn bill from the EU before negotiating it down, said agriculture minister Stephane Le Foll.