Re: What is the protest march in Dublin I've just seen?
I agree that the link between the two is somewhat facetious and could easily be applied to anything people in the Western world spend money on. But it's still an enormous amount of money and impossible to justify.
I'm not sure how the figure is calculated and whether it takes into account the administrative overheads inherent in such a system. It's also listed as the average amount paid out per cow, so presumably some farmers receive more or less than this amount. Perhaps it is a miscalculation by Oxfam but I have heard similar figures used by Swedish economist Johan Norberg and the Globalisation Institute.
Johan Norbeg perhaps better illustrates the point when he says that a cow purchased in Argentina and flown first class to France for slaughter would cost the EU less than the payments a French cow receives under CAP.
So you have to ask yourself if it is fair that small farmers should receive preferable treatment in this way, compared to any other small business that struggles against larger competition?
Not all Irish farmers will go out of business with the ending of the CAP, just some. I have relations who own a farm and they are not at all worried about the ending of CAP subsidies. Their attitude is that they sell a premium product, it is internationally recognised as such and people can and should be willing to pay for it as such.
It's a complicated subject I'm sure but this might provide a start:
It's at this point I probably should admit that I don't really buy into the doom and gloom surrounding global warming.
http://www.askaboutmoney.com/showpost.php?p=531783&postcount=5
The article say that "the comparison has been a cause of outrage" but imho it is absolutely bogus. You could use the same logic to decry almost any aspect of Western social or economic behaviour - for example the $x billion spent on alcohol/cosmetics/kids sweets/haircuts/smug liberal newspapers/dieting in the EU & US every year. Reminds me of the old whinge that the Catholic Church's policies on contraception are to blame for the AIDS crisis in Africa - ignoring the facts (1) that most Africans are Muslims; and (2) Islamic law does not approve of artificial contraception.
$2.62 x 50 cows x 365 = $47,815
That's totaly wrong for starters. You could divide it by 4 or 5. Either that, or the Irish Dept. Agriculture has been seriously short-changing us!
And it's a silly comparison.
But it is outrageous that so many people are living on so little. We all have to take responsibility for that.
I agree that the link between the two is somewhat facetious and could easily be applied to anything people in the Western world spend money on. But it's still an enormous amount of money and impossible to justify.
I'm not sure how the figure is calculated and whether it takes into account the administrative overheads inherent in such a system. It's also listed as the average amount paid out per cow, so presumably some farmers receive more or less than this amount. Perhaps it is a miscalculation by Oxfam but I have heard similar figures used by Swedish economist Johan Norberg and the Globalisation Institute.
Johan Norbeg perhaps better illustrates the point when he says that a cow purchased in Argentina and flown first class to France for slaughter would cost the EU less than the payments a French cow receives under CAP.
Have to say that as a farmer I do think that huge payments going to agribusiness companies and the likes of L. Goodman and co. is taking it all too far. Unlike us, these guys can make profit without getting fully subsidised for every acre - economy of scale. There should be a sliding scale and/or cap on larger payments.
I agree with you on that point.
So you have to ask yourself if it is fair that small farmers should receive preferable treatment in this way, compared to any other small business that struggles against larger competition?
Not all Irish farmers will go out of business with the ending of the CAP, just some. I have relations who own a farm and they are not at all worried about the ending of CAP subsidies. Their attitude is that they sell a premium product, it is internationally recognised as such and people can and should be willing to pay for it as such.
That's something I wasn't aware of, and I'd be interested in knowing more. Can you elaborate, maybe provide a link or two with independent data to back it up?
Does the same apply to all locally sourced food?
What about staple foods, say potatoes, beef and cheese?
It's a complicated subject I'm sure but this might provide a start:
It's at this point I probably should admit that I don't really buy into the doom and gloom surrounding global warming.
http://www.askaboutmoney.com/showpost.php?p=531783&postcount=5