News

Moves to stub out tobacco subsidies meet resistance

The European Commission is under pressure by some member states to introduce stronger measures to discourage smoking—including phasing out the enormous financial subsidies it pays to European tobacco farmers.

Ireland has been leading the move to reform the common agricultural policy, under which £700m per year is spent on subsidies to tobacco growers, mainly in Greece and Italy. The EU spends only £10m annually on its ‘Europe against cancer’ campaign.

‘This apparent contradiction is the source of considerable public criticism’, said Padraig Flynn, Ireland’s commissioner for social affairs.

Mr Flynn has asked the commission to support the phasing out of subsidies for tobacco production over a number of years. Instead, the money should be used to encourage farmers to diversify into other crops and support rural development.

But both the tobacco growers and cigarette manufacturers are fiercely resisting any moves by Europe to reduce the subsidy, or to introduce stronger warnings on products. A meeting of the commission in early November was unable to make any firm progress on the issue.