The Citizen reported the Governments' CAP reform plans that they hope will be good for farming. They will not. The 'crisis' of Britain's globalised agriculture is easily summarised: the average farm income is lower than that of an entry level teacher (1) and farmers are leaving the profession in their droves. The proposed plans will not help this. From 1995 - 2002 prices for shoppers increased by 21%. Farmgate prices increased by just 2%. At the beginning of the 21st century, it is virtually impossible for farmers to earn a living off the food that they produce. In a process that involves every one from the airlines to the supermarkets, farmers occupy the least powerful role. Rock-bottom supermarket pricing and the profiteering of 'middlemen,' like the processing companies, has made farming viable for only the largest agri-giants. Government/EU policy has oiled this process every step of the way. CAP has bloated big business by rewarding over-production and directly subsidising milk processors, whilst bypassing the very farms who need the subsidies to compete. Government planning policy has, for example, provided supermarkets with tax-free out of town car parks. Analysts predict that 25% of UK farms will have closed down by 2025. We are crying out for reform. But these proposed reforms are not the answer. They fail to regulate supermarkets, or to regulate prices. They fail to regulate exports and imports, or to subsidise small farms. The one striking 'reform' - payment per hectare - will effectively provide a massive windfall for the biggest landowners. British farmers need a government who will protect and nurture British agriculture (i.e through progressive subsidies and regulating Big Business). Beckett's reforms fail British farmers.

David Taylor, No1 Green Party Euro-candidate for the South West region (1) around £12,000 PA in 2003