Milking cap... But is it fairer?

As CAP talks edge ahead, the picture looks less ambitious and changes in who gets what, and how much they get, will be less radical than envisaged, writes Europe Correspondent Ann Cahill

THE battle for the EU’s €300bn agriculture budget is drawing to a close. However, the shape of the final deal is now fairly obvious, and the original, ambitious reform of the contentious Common Agriculture Policy has been largely tamed by member states and vested interests.

It is easier to see now who the likely winners and losers are in this marathon battle between member states, between those who believe in subsidising agriculture and those who do not, between different types of farming, younger versus older farmers, and between farmers with large and small holdings.