Farmers hit jackpot – year after year

The farce that is Europe’s farm subsidy regime has been laid bare again after a farming business managed to more than treble the support it receives.

The taxpayer handout to Frank A. Smart and Son is the equivalent of a National Lottery win. The difference here is this payment is guaranteed annually until 2013.

Single farm payments have, since their introduction in 2005, been criticised as they fail to recognise current agricultural activity and instead base payments on what happened between 2000-02. It allows has-beens to continue to collect tens of millions of pounds a year.

Brian Pack, who has been charged with recommending reforms, recently said the system was broken and needed fixed. Hear, hear. The sooner the better, too.