Animal Agriculture Gets ‘Scandalous’ 77% Of EU CAP Subsidies Worth €39 Billion Per Year

A new report reveals that the EU allocates up to 77 percent of its annual farming subsidies, amounting to €39 billion, to animal agriculture, with beef and lamb receiving significantly more subsidies than plant-based foods like legumes and nuts. This inequitable distribution of subsidies supports high-emission meat and dairy production, leading to distorted European diets and contributing significantly to climate change. Despite animal products only accounting for a fraction of the calories and protein consumed by EU citizens, they receive a disproportionately large share of CAP subsidies.

The current system of CAP subsidies incentivizes animal farming and favors larger producers over small farms, leading to calls for reform to better support healthy and sustainable diets, net-zero targets, and farmer livelihoods. Lobbying efforts from major meat and dairy companies have hindered legislative discussions on the negative impact of animal agriculture and the need to shift towards more plant-based food production. The use of EU funds to promote meat and dairy consumption, which contradicts EU health and climate goals, is seen as shameful and should be immediately discontinued.