€44.8 Million Spent on Weaning Farmers From Tobacco

Source from:  Tobacco Reporter 09/01/2011

The EU spent €44.8 million during the financial years 2003 to 2011 on assisting tobacco growers to switch to other activities. This emerged in a written answer given by the Commission in response to a question posed in the European parliament. The money came from a fund financed by deductions from the direct premiums formerly paid for tobacco production. Requests for funding were accepted until 2006 and the last payment was made under the 2011 budget. The question did not seek to find out how many farmers were assisted nor with what degree of success. Nor was it asked how much money in total was deducted from the premiums; or to what use any amount in excess of €44.8 million was put. Enditem