EU changes to agriculture policy slashed incomes

CHANGES to the EU’s common agriculture policy substantially reduced farmers’ incomes last year, figures reveal.

After years of being a major beneficiary from the EU’s €46 billion annual agriculture budget, the reform of the CAP appears to have hit Irish farmers more than any others in the Union.

Last year their real incomes fell by 13.3% compared to 2005, which is 10% less than what they earned in 2000, say Eurostat. But this must be set against a higher than average increase last year, the experts said.