Study finds EU subsidies favour beef and lamb over legumes 580-fold

Beef and lamb received 580 times more in EU subsidies than legumes in 2020, a report finds, while pork was subsidised nearly 240 times more and dairy 554 times more than nuts and seeds. The analysis by the charity Foodrise says the common agricultural policy (CAP) gives disproportionately large support to meat and dairy, with much funding allocated by farm size rather than strategic goals and additional subsidies flowing through animal feed.

The report put meat and dairy subsidies at €39bn in 2020, compared with €3.6bn for fruit and vegetables and €2.4bn for cereals. The findings draw on an academic preprint that traced subsidies using methods from a 2024 Nature Food study; some experts urged caution about the exact scale but did not dispute the overall disparity.

Anniek Kortleve, lead author of the academic study, said CAP support is highly concentrated in animal-sourced foods relative to the calories they provide and that plant proteins like legumes receive very little support.

European Union

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