topic 5.1: Royal farms get £1m from taxpayers

Royal farms get £1m from taxpayers

http://www.guardian.co.uk/country/article/0,2763,1443892,00.html

British farmers get subsidies for their farms from taxpayers. The big companies like Nestle and Tate and Lyle get millions, as do the royal farms. Also, exporting companies get huge amounts of money to sell their agricultural products in other countries, while developing countries can not compete. A Tate and Lyle spokesman said the company was put on a disadvantage because of the pricing structure on sugar within the EU, so they just have to go outside the EU. The publishing of the list of how much the farmers get, has reopend the argument on why whealty farmers should get such generous help.

I think whealthy farmers do not deserve millions. I think this money should be spent on less whealthier farmers who could really use some help. I do not really know the situation of British farmers, but I do know here in the Netherlands: because of all the laws and new rules, farmers have to quit their jobs. If only they had the money to invest in newer systems to make it easier to be a farmer. The big farms take over smaller ones which went bankrupt. I can imagine that happening in the UK as well. If subsidies are given out to farmers (hurray!), give smaller farmers oppertunities! The royals do not need the money, they have got enough already.