WRITTEN QUESTION E-2537/99 by Michiel van Hulten (PSE) to the Commission. Support to American agriculture sector.
Date: 2000-01-04
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: State aid, United States, aid to agriculture

C 280 E/68

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

3.10.2000

(2000/C 280 E/067)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2537/99

by Michiel van Hulten (PSE) to the Commission

(4 January 2000)

Subject: Support to American agriculture sector

In an article headlined (cid:145)America gives farming more support than EU(cid:146) published in the Agrarisch Dagblad
(Agricultural Daily, Netherlands) for 14 October 1999, a Commission official is reported as stating that in
the 1999-2000 farming year the United States will be paying out more in agricultural subsidies than the
European Union. Price support in the United States is said to be running at some 20 billion dollars
annually.

Can the Commission indicate what forms of support the United States grants its agricultural sector, and
will it provide figures to support the statement attributed to the Commission official?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(31 January 2000)

The American budget for agriculture at € 63 and € 69 billion for the years 1999 and 2000 respectively is
more than 50 % higher than that for the common agricultural policy (CAP). It should be pointed out,
however,
to
producers. The food, nutrition and consumer services for example which accounted for € 35 billion of
the 1999 agriculture budget benefit American farmers indirectly in that they promote consumption of
certain food products, which are virtually all sourced from American farms.

the American agriculture budget expenditure is only of

indirect benefit

that much of

In calendar year 1999, direct federal government payments to American farmers amounted to € 22,5 billion
or the equivalent of € 11 000 per farm, double the average payment to Community farmers.

The principal mechanism for supporting American farmers is through Agricultural Market Transition Act
(AMTA) payments which are direct payments to farmers and are fixed on the basis of historic production
and loan deficiency payments which amount to the difference between market prices and a pre-determined
amount per bushel, known as the loan rate.

In 1998 and 1999, the American government supplemented these payments already available to farmers
by about € 15 billion in total through two (cid:145)emergency(cid:146) packages, which was distributed on the basis of the
data available through the AMTA system.

(2000/C 280 E/068)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-2540/99

by Patricia McKenna (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

Subject: Planned golf course in Doonbeg, Co. Clare, Ireland

(16 December 1999)

In 1997 an American golf course company, Landmark National, of Columbus, Ohio, agreed with Shannon
Development, the Irish State Agency responsible for rural development in the Shannon area of Ireland, to
develop a (cid:145)world class leisure and golf links resort(cid:146), including a 51 bedroom hotel and 80 chalets, on
unspoiled sand dunes on the coast of County Clare.

The location had been long recognised for its nature conservation values, having been listed nationally and
in the Clare County Development Plan for protection. The site(cid:146)s importance was confirmed in April 1993
when it was resurveyed with EU LIFE funding. This importance was again confirmed in 1997 when it was
again resurveyed with EU LIFE funding and designated as a proposed Special Area of Conservation (SAC)
of 266 hectares, notified to the European Commission on 11 April 1997. [Site Code 1007].