No, not the claiming by non-farmers of the subsidies:
The single payment scheme, introduced in 2005, replaced a range of farming
subsidies pegged to a farmer’s level of production that gave incentives for
growing crops far in excess of what the market needed. This led to the
“grain mountain” and “wine lake” gluts for which the EU was known.
Now landowners and farmers can claim payments based on the area of land they
hold, regardless of whether or not they produce anything.
It’s exactly the same as a rent on the land. And it has exactly the same effect on the price of the land as a rise in the rent would have. It increases the capital value. And that’s all it does.
Better to simply abolish the whole thing.
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