The European Union is negotiating a major reform of its Common Agricultural Policy. The programme is the most expensive scheme in the EU - accounting for more than 40% of its annual budget - and one of the most controversial. In June 2013 ministers reached a deal with Euro MPs and the European Commission, though the reform package has not yet been agreed in full. The Commission's original goal was to shift rewards away from intensive farming to more sustainable practices - but environmentalists say that ambition has been watered down. There is also a drive to create more of a "level playing field", to give young people an incentive to get involved in an industry dominated by...
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