LAST year’s Common Agricultural Policy payments were sweet for the EU’s big sugar companies.

IRISH farmers and food companies received more than €1.9 billion in subsidies from the European Union last year with the biggest recipient, the Irish Dairy Board co-op, receiving almost €8 million.

AGRICULTURE Minister Mary Coughlan has told her fellow EU ministers she is not in favour of most of the European Commission’s plans to change the union’s annual €48.5 billion farm budget, including capping the amount of money any one farmer could receive.

ALL Irish recipients who benefit from EU farm subsidies will be publicly named, for the first time, next year.