€236m of CAP money fraudulently claimed over five-year period across EU

From promotional events that never happened and to sold stock that never left the shed, Stephen Cadogan outlines some of the most shocking cases of CAP fraud highlighted in a new report.

One example included a Polish dairy farmer receiving a €17,000 EU grant to purchase heifers. However, EU investigators discovered he purchased the heifers from his father, also a dairy farmer, who kept his herd in the same cow shed. File picture

Some €236m worth of frauds has been estimated in a study of five years of the Common Agricultural Policy.

One notable example highlighted by a European Court of Auditors (ECA) report included a Polish dairy farmer receiving a €17,000 EU grant to purchase heifers. However, EU investigators discovered he purchased the heifers from his father, also a dairy farmer, who kept his herd in the same cow shed.