Lines of conflict exposed

The German daily die tageszeitung points out that fundamental change is needed in the EU's agricultural policy and that the meeting of the EU's ministers of agriculture failed to produce this: "Once again, agricultural reform has been postponed. Europe's farmers will be allowed to produce more milk for which there is no demand on the market. After submitting agricultural policy to a 'health check' the EU's ministers of agriculture have agreed to retain most of the subsidies for large farm businesses and only a fraction of these subsidies will be contingent on meeting ecological criteria. ... There is however one bright spot. This harmless compromise could have an impact that arises not from the results it produces, but from the way it was achieved. For in the debates that led to the compromise the lines of conflict were more clearly exposed than they usually are. ... This process of discussion represents an opportunity because true reform of the agricultural sector can only be accomplished with the support of the farmers, not against their will."

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