Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | EU offers to slash farm subsidies

The EU has demolised trade barriers within its boundary. Now, maybe it is also trying to lower trade barrier to the outside world.

The EU offers to cut its subsidiary to agriculture products export by at most 60%. To fair trade advocators, this is very good news. EU spokesman says that farmers from some poor countries are suffering from US and EU cheap agriculture exports. Therefore they want to change this.

French do not like this decision. This is imaginable. They have a very supportive agriculture and farmers are important political force. This policy may also bring economic loss to UK farmers because UK farming is heavily depending on subsidiary. However, from a environmental aspect, this policy can surely cut excessive agriculture production and make more diversified agriculture economy pattern.