City University Food Thinkers

Transparency and the food system Food Thinkers series at City University 29 October 2008 Jack Thurston Co-founder, farmsubsidy.org

If Europeans knew how the EU spends €55 billion a year on farm subsidies... Would they approve?

Our method Freedom of information + Investigative reporting Vigorous debate + Better policy =

Poland: Top 10 recipients, 2006 & 2007 Recipient name Location Amount € Spółdzielcza Agrofirma Witkowo Witkowo Pierwsze 4 255 935 Top Farms Głubczyce Spółka Z.O.O Głubczyce 4 064 372 Top Farms Wielkopolska Sp. Z O. O. Piotrowo Pierwsze 3 991 238 Kombinat Rolny Kietrz Sp.Zo.O. Kietrz 3 814 261 Poldanor S.A. Przechlewo 3 798 350 Kom-Rol Kobylniki Spółka Z O.O. Kobylniki 2 221 563 Agro - Skandawa Spółka Z Ograniczoną Odpowiedzialnością Agro - Skandawa Sp. Z O.O. Aptynty 2 084 845 Rolnyvik Sp. Z O.O. Barciany 1 922 988 Polska Hodowla I Obrót Zwierzętami Sp. Z O.O. Szymankowo Szymankowo 1 808 175 Agri Plus Spółka Akcyjna Konarzewo 1 558 059

Percentage of all direct payments (2006)

Why? “ For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that which he hath.” Matthew 13:12

Direct payments, € per hectare, 2013

Direct payments, € per hectare, 2013 A flat payment at at €229 per hectare

Behind the headlines

Data obtained - timeline May 06 May 07 August 08 Value of payments € 33 billion € 55 billion € 66 billion Number of payments n/a 8.2 million 12.1 million Number of recipients 0.9 million 2.6 million 6.5 million Countries 8 18 21

3.2 million searches since 1 Dec 2005 300 visits per day (up to 1,000) 9 pages per visit 7 minutes per visit 66 per cent new visits

European Transparency Initiative 30 Sept 2008: Rural development aid 30 April 2009: Direct payments

✔ Name ✔ Municipality ✔ Amount

✘ Business ID ✘ Geodata ✘ Schemes

That’s 27 websites! (even though the Commission possesses all the data itself)

“ Observes that the Commission's website currently includes links to the databases of the 14 Member States providing information on beneficiaries of common agricultural policy payments under shared management; regrets however that the information is so diverse and scattered and of such varying quality that information can hardly be found; calls on the Commission to learn from the very accessible website www.farmsubsidy.org which works very well and is set up without public funding .”
European Parliament, 19 February 2008

But has it made a difference?

Payment limits

Entitlement approach v. Programming approach

Predictions?
Direct payments (€36+ bn)
will become politically unsustainable
Why?
- biggest get most
- historic basis of payment
- massive variations in rates
- cross compliance is an illusion
- high prices & profits (cereals)

Transparency in the food chain?

‘ Supermarket Pastoral’

www.howstuffismade.org

“ a visual encyclopedia that documents the manufacturing processes, labor conditions and environmental impacts involved in the production of contemporary products”

barcode wikipedia

Transparency Technology Media ?

[email_address]

City University Food Thinkers

by jackthur on Oct 29, 2008

Accessibility

Categories

Tags

Upload Details

Usage Rights

1 Embed 1

Statistics

City University Food Thinkers — Presentation Transcript