Comparing U.S. and EU Program Support for Farm Commodities and Conservation
Released: 2010-01-26T00:00:00

Introduction

The European Union (EU) is one of the United States' chief agricultural trading partners and also a major competitor in world food markets. Both the United States and the EU provide significant government support for their agricultural sectors. In the United States, a large share of support is concentrated on wheat, feed grains, cotton, oilseeds, sugar, and dairy. The EU provides more extensive support to a broader range of farm and food products, including grains, cotton, rice, oilseeds, peanuts, dairy, sugar, fresh and processed fruits and vegetables, and livestock products. According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the EU and the United States together account for more than 60% of all government support to agriculture among the major developed economies.

Although many in Congress have historically defended U.S. farm support programs as a means to ensure that the United States has continued access to the "most abundant, safest, and cheapest food supplies in the world," long-standing criticisms and continued debate have challenged the extent of and need for government support of farm programs. Some argue that the failure of the United States and EU to reform their respective farm support programs has contributed to delays in the Doha Round of multilateral trade negotiations within the World Trade Organization (WTO). In response to these criticisms, both the United States and the EU have modified their farm programs in part by expanding various types of "non-commodity" support, such as farmland conservation (or so-called "agri-environment") programs and rural development programs, among other programs. To date, however, non-commodity support still constitutes a very small share of total farm-level support, compared to farm production support, for both the United States and the EU. Information comparing the EU and U.S. farm support programs will continue to be of interest to Congress as the Doha negotiations move forward.

This report compares farm support in the United States and the EU, given available quantitative data and information for these two economies. Three general sources of information include (1) the OECD's annual Producer Support Estimate (PSE); (2) estimates of the Aggregate Measurement of Support (AMS) for agricultural programs, as notified by the United States and the EU to the WTO as part of their member country obligations; and (3) annual EU and U.S. budget expenditures for agricultural programs.

Overview of U.S. and EU Farm Programs

The OECD reports that the EU accounts for the majority—about one-half—of all government support to agriculture among the major developed economies. Total EU agricultural support generally is much higher than in the United States. However, direct spending comparisons are complicated by significant structural differences between the U.S. and EU farm sectors. The United States has roughly twice the farmland base of the European Union, while the EU has six to seven times the number of farm operators spread across each of its 27 member countries. The EU program also supports a broader range of farm commodities as compared to the United States. Consequently, EU and U.S. farm program support differs in both size and scope, as well as in the manner this support is provided.

U.S. Agricultural Policy

In the United States, federal farm support, food assistance, agricultural trade, marketing, and rural development policies are governed by a variety of separate laws. Although many of these policies can be and sometimes are modified through freestanding authorizing legislation, or as part of other laws, the omnibus, multi-year farm bill provides an opportunity for policymakers to address agricultural and food issues more comprehensively. The most recent omnibus farm bill ( P.L. 110-246 , the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008) covers a range of areas, including commodity crops, horticulture and livestock, conservation, nutrition, trade and food aid, agricultural research, farm credit, rural development, energy, forestry, and other programs.

U.S. farm support consists of programs that provide both direct and indirect support to producers and consumers and to the agricultural sector in general. The core programs provide price and income support for selected commodities, including corn, wheat, cotton, rice, soybeans, dairy, and sugar. Grains, cotton, oilseeds, dairy, and peanuts generally are eligible for both fixed "decoupled" payments (payments not tied to production or crop yields) and "counter-cyclical assistance" payments (payments tied to per-bushel or per-pound target prices); the total producer subsidy is based on past production. Producers of these and other commodities also are eligible for crop loans and loan-related subsidies that provide further support. Dairy and sugar are supported through various minimum pricing systems, and some commodities are subject to quotas to limit imports. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that the average cost of the commodity programs will be about $8.3 billion per year under the 2008 farm bill (FY2008-FY2012). Farmers may also be eligible for crop insurance and disaster assistance payments.

Starting with the 1985 farm bill, Congress introduced programs intended to help producers adopt farming practices that preserve or enhance the environment. Conservation programs administered by USDA can be broadly grouped into land retirement and easement programs and so-called "working lands" programs. In general, land retirement and easement programs take land out of crop production and provide for program rental payments and cost-sharing to establish longer-term conservation coverage to convert the land back into forests, grasslands, or wetlands. Working lands programs provide technical and financial assistance to assist agricultural producers in improving natural resource conservation and management practices on their productive lands. In addition, aside from some long-standing rural business and community programs, the 1996 and 2002 farm bills, as amended, included several new rural development programs intended for infrastructure improvements, community services, and business development. The 2008 farm bill also expanded upon these overall program areas by creating new farm conservation and rural development programs. CBO estimates that the average cost of the mandatory conservation and rural development programs will be about $4.8 billion per year under the 2008 farm bill.

EU Agricultural Policy

The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) governs agricultural policies and programs for the EU's the 27 member countries. Established in 1962, the CAP's objectives are to:

increase agricultural productivity, ensure fair living standards for farmers, stabilize markets, ensure the availability of food, and provide food at reasonable prices.

These aims were achieved primarily by the EU intervening in commodity markets to buy farm output when market prices fell below agreed target prices. To prevent imports from undercutting the high internal prices that resulted from the operation of the intervention buying system, the EU levied variable tariffs on imported agricultural products. Export subsidies were used eliminate the surpluses of agricultural products that resulted from the high internal prices of the intervention buying system. Among the unintended consequences of the CAP were high prices for consumers and high budget expenditures. During the 1970s and 1980s, the CAP accounted for as much as 70% of the total EU budget. The CAP was also criticized by EU trading partners for distorting world markets and interfering with global agricultural trade.

Since 1992, the EU has implemented policy changes that move the CAP toward support that is more market-oriented and decoupled from current production and prices; the changes also reduce the budgetary costs of the CAP and bring EU agricultural policy in line with World Trade Organization (WTO) rules and restrictions. More recently, the evolution of the CAP has been influenced by other objectives (than those mentioned in the Treaty of Rome) such as maintaining the quality of rural life, improving the environment, and protecting animal welfare. Reforms in 1992 (the MacSharry Reforms) and 1999 (Agenda 2000) reduced EU commodity support prices toward market levels and required that some farmland be taken out of production. Budget disciplines designed to reduce the growth in community spending on the CAP were established in 2002. In addition, the receipt of farm income support is contingent upon the farmer meeting an extensive array of agricultural and environmental norms that were introduced in 2003 (the Midterm Review).

Direct aid to farmers and commodity market support constitute the first pillar of the CAP. Rural development measures, added to the CAP starting in mid-1995, are the second pillar. Total reported spending for the EU's farm programs—including direct aid and support for conservation and rural development—is estimated at nearly $68 billion (€54 billion) for 2008, and accounts for more than 40% of the EU budget annually.

The major component of the first pillar of the CAP (direct aid and market support) is the single farm payment (SFP). Introduced in 2003, the SFP replaced payments made under various commodity-specific common market organizations (CMOs) and largely decoupled support from current prices or production. EU member countries could opt to maintain a limited link between payments and production ("partial decoupling"), but most chose to move to full decoupling. The recently completed Health Check will eliminate partial decoupling for all but a few (livestock) commodities by 2012. Reported spending for "direct aids," covering SFP, is estimated at about $50 billion (€37 billion) for 2008.

In order to receive the SFP, a farmer must comply with certain environmental and agricultural measures. Cross-compliance entails keeping farmland in good agricultural and environmental condition and observing mandatory management requirements. The requirements are included in regulations established for groundwater protection, water pollution from nitrates, pesticide use, and the protection of habitats for flora and fauna. These agricultural and environmental practices, often referred to as "good agricultural practices" or GAPs, are listed below ( Table 1 ).

Non-compliance is sanctioned by reductions in direct payments. The reduction may not exceed 5% for one instance of non-compliance, but may increase to 20% in the case of repeated non-compliance. If non-compliance is intentional, the reduction will not be less than 20% and could result in total denial of the SFP for one or more years.

Rural development policy (pillar two) focuses on three identified areas: competitiveness for farming and forestry; environment and countryside; and quality of life and diversification of the rural economy. Activities under the second pillar are designed and co-financed by member countries. Within member states, the EU funds 75% of the cost of rural development activities, and 90% in poorer areas. Increased spending on rural development is financed by reducing the direct payments to larger farmers. From 2007 onward, direct payments to individual farmers of €5,000 and higher are reduced by 5% to finance rural development. The EU refers to this reduction in direct payments and transfer of funds from the first to the second pillar as "modulation."

Spending on the EU's "rural development" programs, which include agri-environmental programs, is estimated at about $14 billion (€10 billion) for 2007 and about $19 billion (€13 billion) for 2008. Overall, CAP spending for rural development represents about 20% or more of all EU farm spending. Direct farm spending, including the SFP, accounts for about 70% of the CAP. The remaining budget is spent on other farm programs and administration. CAP spending is subject to a financial discipline mechanism designed to keep spending on direct aid and market support (pillar one) in line with budget ceilings agreed to in 2002. If overspending on direct aids is forecast, then direct aids are reduced to ensure that the budget is not exceeded.

Comparing Support Across Countries

Three general sources of quantitative data and information compare agricultural program support between the United States and the European Union:

1. the annual Producer Support Estimate (PSE) for agricultural programs by country, as calculated and compiled by the OECD; 2. annual estimates of the Aggregate Measurement of Support (AMS) for agricultural programs, as calculated and compiled by individual World Trade Organization (WTO) member countries and notified to the WTO as part of their membership obligations; and 3. annual budget expenditures for agricultural programs, as reported by individual countries.

Each of these information sources provides estimates of support for agricultural commodities. These sources also provide, although to a more limited extent, estimates of support for non-commodity programs, such as agricultural conservation programs, rural development, agro-forestry, bioenergy, and related farm programs. Each of these sources is useful for comparing farm program support across countries, but they also have certain limitations, particularly in the area of non-commodity programs, such as agricultural conservation. The PSE and AMS data are more inclusive across all program areas and more comprehensive overall than reported budgetary information. None of these information sources reflect the most recent reforms to the EU's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) agreed to by the EU agriculture ministers in late 2008.

These information sources also highlight differences between the United States and the European Union, not only in terms of their respective policy priorities, but also in terms of farm sector differences. For example, the United States' commodity program focuses its support on a few major commodities (mostly corn, wheat, rice, soybeans, cotton, dairy, and sugar), whereas the EU farm program provides commodity support for a much wider range of products, including grains, cotton, rice, oilseeds, peanuts, dairy, sugar, fresh and processed fruits and vegetables, and livestock products. Farm structures and organization are also vastly different: the United States has roughly twice the farmland base of the European Union, with fewer but significantly larger farms than the EU. The EU has less total land in farming, but as many as six to seven times the number of farm operators. Such differences can affect how the available data and information may be interpreted, and caution is needed when comparing any available data translated into a per-unit basis, such as expenditures per acre or per farm, between these countries.

Putting aside limitations of the data, these information sources are useful in comparing farm program support across countries. The data indicate that, since the mid-1980s, total farm support in the United States and EU has declined as a share of total gross farm receipts. In general, support for commodity programs has decreased, whereas the support for non-commodity programs, such a farmland conservation and certain types of rural development programs, has increased. However, support for non-commodity programs still accounts for a small share (less than 1%) of farm receipts. As a share of overall farm receipts, support for such programs is slightly greater in the United States, where support for non-commodity programs accounts for less than 0.7% of receipts, than in the EU, where it accounts for less than 0.3% of receipts annually. However, in terms of total spending, the data show that the EU provides more support, in aggregate, than the United States for both production-based programs and non-commodity programs, such a farmland conservation and agri-environmental programs.

OECD's Producer Support Estimates

A widely referenced source of data and information used to compare farm program support is the OECD's long-standing annual publication Agricultural Policies in OECD Countries , which describes and evaluates agricultural policies in each of the OECD countries.

Data Description

The measure used by OECD for its cross-country comparison is the Producer Support Estimate (PSE). The PSE reflects farm support expressed as a percentage of the value of gross output or farm receipts. OECD defines the PSE as "an indicator of the annual monetary value of gross transfers from consumers and taxpayers to support agricultural producers, measured at farm gate level, arising from policy measures, regardless of their nature, objectives or impacts on farm production or income." This measure is broken down into seven identified farm support categories, including six categories of production-based support (commodity production, input use, payments based on various criteria including area planted, animal numbers, receipts, and income) and a single non-production category (so-called "non-commodity criteria" or "non-commodity outputs").

The definition of "non-commodity outputs" is closely related to the concept of "multifunctionality," which is widely acknowledged in the EU and builds on the idea that agriculture has many functions in addition to producing food and fiber. These positive attributes include environmental protection, landscape preservation, biodiversity, rural viability and employment, animal welfare, food safety and quality, and food security. Typically, non-commodity outputs of agriculture satisfy two conditions: they are jointly produced with commodity outputs, and they provide social value (and impose social costs) not reflected in markets. Because non-commodity outputs still account for a very small portion of total gross farm receipts, the OECD report does not always allow for a thorough analysis of changes in government support for non-commodity programs, such as agri-environmental services.

Advantages/Disadvantages

The OECD's report includes extensive statistical and historical data broken down by type of support in aggregate and by major commodity. The analysis is comprehensive and accounts for many of the underlying structural issues that would otherwise complicate a comparison of farm programs across countries, such as differences in program priorities, reporting differences, and fluctuations in commodity prices and exchange rates. For commodities, the OECD's reported information is inclusive across all program areas and includes support for all commodities, even those that are supported through price supports and administered prices (such as dairy and sugar in the United States). This allows for a direct comparison of agricultural support between the United States and the EU. Also, for the EU, the OECD report provides information across several levels of EU accession: EU12 (1986-1994, including parts of eastern Europe from 1990); EU15 (1995-2003); EU25 (2004-2006) and EU27 (since 2007). Moreover, the OECD's historical perspective, extending back through the mid-1980s, allows for a complete comparison of the effects of policy reforms over time.

One shortcoming of the PSE is that because it is expressed as a percentage of the value of gross farm receipts and is best suited to reflect general policy trends, it does not readily allow for a direct comparison in terms of budget spending. Within the aggregate category for non-commodity outputs, the PSE does not allow for a direct and detailed comparison of differences in specific programs, such as agricultural conservation. Non-commodity outputs are measured broadly and expressed in terms of long-term resource retirements, along with other specific and non-specific non-commodity criteria as reflected in each country's overall portfolio of agricultural conservation, forestry, and rural development programs. More specific program breakouts within this category are not available.

What the Data Indicate

With respect to developed countries, the 2009 OECD report highlights the following general conclusions, among others:

producer farm support is at its lowest level since the 1980s; there is a continued shift away from most market-distorting supports; there is a continued shift toward new policy measures to strengthen the viability of rural areas and improve environmental performance, among other societal concerns; and reforms in the area of farm policy are uneven across countries.

Figure 1 and Figure 2 compare available PSE estimates since the mid-1980s by level and by support categories for the United States and the EU. As shown, total farm support in the United States has declined from an estimated 24% of gross farm receipts in 1986 to about 7% of receipts in 2008 ( Figure 1 ). Of this total, the share of total farm support for commodity programs dropped from 24% to 6% of overall farm receipts; support for non-commodity programs increased but still accounts for less than 1% of receipts. Comparable estimates for the EU show that total farm support has also declined from an estimated 42% of farm receipts in 1986 to about 25% in 2008, including a decrease in the share of total farm support for commodity programs ( Figure 2 ). Support for non-commodity criteria has increased, but still accounts for less than 1%.

This trend is also reflected by data showing decreases in total support payments for commodity programs in both the United States and the EU during the time period. The data are based on breakouts of production-based support, grouped according to commodity production; input use; payments based on various criteria including area planted, animal numbers, receipts, and income; and miscellaneous. Non-commodity outputs are measured broadly and do not allow for more specific breakouts to isolate, for example, support for agricultural conservation.

WTO-Reported Aggregate Measurement of Support

Another source of information that allows for a comparison of farm program support across countries is the annual country compilations of the so-called "Aggregate Measurement of Support" or AMS for a country's agriculture sectors. Countries periodically provide ("notify") these compilations to the WTO, as part of each country's WTO obligations agreed to at the time of the Uruguay Round Agreement on Agriculture. Although these data allow for comparisons across countries, their primary purpose is to monitor how countries are doing in terms of meeting their WTO commitments to reduce domestic support for their agricultural sectors.

Data Description

The AMS reflects the monetary value of domestic or "internal" publicly funded farm support, and is generally grouped into three colored boxes and two "de minimis" exclusion categories:

1. Green box programs are payments that are only minimally trade-distorting. Examples are research programs, direct payments to farmers that are not contingent on production, environmental program payments, or disaster assistance. Green box payments do not require WTO disciplines or reductions, and do not count against the country's subsidy ceiling. 2. Blue box programs are direct payments made under a production-limiting program. Examples are EU direct payments to producers based on fixed areas or yields or a fixed number of livestock. There are currently no U.S. blue box programs. Blue box programs are not subject to WTO disciplines or reductions. 3. Amber box programs are contingent on participation in agricultural production. Examples are U.S. price supports for dairy and sugar; U.S. loan deficiency payments or marketing loans for grain, oilseed, and cotton producers; and EU intervention purchases of farm products at administratively maintained prices above market prices. Such payments are considered market-distorting and are subject to WTO reduction commitments. 4. De m inimis exemptions pertain to "small" levels of domestic support, no matter what their nature, that are deemed sufficiently benign (i.e., not likely to distort trade) to be excluded from the AMS calculation. They include commodity-specific support (i.e., support that applies to a specific product such as wheat, sugar, etc.) and non-product-specific support (e.g., irrigation). If total non-product-specific subsidies are below 5% (10% for developing countries) of the value of a developed country's total agricultural production, then they do not have to be included in the AMS calculation.

Advantages/Disadvantages

The AMS data provide a comprehensive accounting of farm programs, grouped together by major categories, and originally were reported by each country in its local currency. The OECD's reported information is inclusive across all program areas and includes support for all commodities, even those that are supported through price supports and administered prices (such as for dairy and sugar in the United States). However, these data reflect annual conditions and are therefore subject to year-to-year fluctuations in commodity markets. Once these data are converted to a common currency value, such as U.S. dollars, for comparison purposes, these annual data also may be affected by fluctuations in foreign exchange rates.

An advantage of the AMS data is that they are aggregated across all commodities to reflect the monetary value of domestic agricultural support, even for those programs that do not receive annual budgetary outlays. For example, the U.S. dairy and sugar programs do not receive commodity support payments, but are instead covered through other support mechanisms, such as government purchases (dairy) and marketing quotas and import barriers (sugar). Yet the AMS captures this support as part of its overall estimate. As reported in the U.S. notification, dairy and sugar programs accounted for 40% and 9% of the U.S. "Current Total Aggregate Measurement of Support" in 2005, along with corn (35%) and cotton (13%). In contrast, the most recent EU notification reports that total fresh and processed fruits and vegetables represented about one-third of EU "Current Total Aggregate Measurement of Support" in 2005/2006, along with another roughly 50% for dairy products, sugar, and most grain products.

The principal limitation of the AMS data is its substantial reporting lag. The most recent U.S. notification reflects agricultural support through the 2007 marketing year. The most recent EU notification covers marketing year 2005. Accordingly, the only period available to compare data on the United States and the European Union is 1995 through 2005. A more recent EU submission is reportedly delayed because of accounting issues surrounding EU country accession.

The available AMS data are also limited because of differences in policy priorities, as well as reporting and accounting differences in farm programs between the United States and the EU. For example, the United States "green box" payments differ from the EU's in that the U.S. includes "domestic food aid," which includes food stamps, and other domestic food and child nutrition programs ( Table 1 ). In addition, internal shifts among categories between reporting periods also complicate a direct or historical comparison. For example, in recent years the U.S. notification has classified the farmland long-term retirement program, the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), as an "environmental payment," whereas previously it was classified under "resource retirement programs." This type of change can distort historical trends and period averaging of the available data, understating U.S. spending on conservation programs, as further described in the next section.

What the Data Indicate

Available AMS information for the United States and the EU, averaged over the 1995-2005 period, indicate that the United States provides less support than the EU for both production-based "amber box" programs and environmental programs under the "green box," but substantially more for domestic food aid and decoupled direct payments ( Table 2 ). These data suggest that the bulk (about 77%) of U.S. farm payments are green box (i.e., not subject to WTO disciplines), while about 27% of EU payments are green box.

However, these data are not directly comparable across all reported categories and, in some cases, do not reflect current conditions. For example, the U.S. notification classifies "domestic food aid" as a sizable part of its green box support ($38.3 billion), whereas the EU does not. In addition, in the United States, direct payments are notified as decoupled, total roughly $5 billion per year, and have ranged from about 25% to 44% of total commodity payments in recent years. The U.S. classifies these farm payments as "green box" when reporting agricultural subsidies to the WTO; thus these payments do not count against their subsidy ceiling. The EU data reflect changes since the 2003 CAP reforms. As part of these reforms, EU farm production payments were largely decoupled with the establishment of "single farm payments" (SFP).

Comparing available AMS data ( Table 2 ) on environmental payments also requires additional clarification. As already discussed, the recent U.S. notification reclassified the CRP as an "environmental payment" whereas previously it was classified under "resource retirement programs." Given that these data are averaged over the 1995-2005 period, this indicates that average environmental payments in the United States ($1.2 billion) are substantially lower than in the European Union ($5.3 billion) ( Table 2 ). However, U.S. payments for "resource retirement programs"($1.0 billion), reflecting the inclusion of CRP in earlier years, are more than twice similar payments in the European Union ($0.5 billion). Although total environmental payments under the "green box" classification are generally higher in the EU than in the United States, more recent data show this difference is less stark: U.S. environmental payments were $3.8 billion in 2007, compared to the EU's $5.6 billion in 2005.

Table 2 also shows that EU payments for rural development programs are much greater than in the United States (for example, compare "payments under regional assistance programs," and "investment aids"), whereas U.S. payments are higher for USDA research, regulatory, and technical services ("general services").

Budget Expenditures

Annual budget expenditures/outlays for agricultural programs, reported by the United States and the EU, provide another source of comparative data. Data presented here are for the 2006 (execution or actual) and 2007 (budget) period.

Data Description

Annual data are reported by each country in its local currency. Because of general reporting differences among countries, the data originate from a variety of sources. Budget data for the United States are generally from USDA, derived from information from the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC), USDA's 2008 Budget Summary and Annual Performance Plan , and other data and information from USDA's Office of Budget & Program Analysis and other USDA agencies. The EU budget data are from European Commission (EC) agricultural reports and statistics.

Advantages/Disadvantages

The main advantage of annual budget data is that they are more timely and more readily understood than other available information sources. As with other monetary data, annual budget data reflect annual conditions and are therefore subject to year-to-year fluctuations in commodity prices. Once these data are converted to a common currency value, such as U.S. dollars for comparison purposes, these annual data may also be affected by fluctuations in foreign exchange rates. These data are also limited for use in comparing historical changes, given recent reforms and country accession to the European Union.

Perhaps the main shortcoming of available budget data is that they are not always comprehensive and inclusive of all support areas. Budget data only reflect support for those programs that receive annual budgetary outlays. As a result, budget data do not reflect support for the U.S. dairy and sugar programs, since these programs do not receive commodity support payments, but are instead covered through government purchases (dairy) and marketing quotas and import barriers (sugar). The OECD and AMS data account for all program areas. Major differences in the scope of supported farm commodities between the United States and EU also complicate a direct comparison. As a result, U.S. budget data cover mostly five crops—corn, wheat, cotton, rice, and soybeans—since these commodities account for over 90% of government program payments to farmers. Many products, including meat and livestock products, and fruits and vegetables, do not receive farm support payments. In contrast, the EU farm program provides commodity support for a much wider range of products, including these same grain products, dairy, sugar, fruits and vegetables, and livestock products. Most (about 70%) of the EU's budget outlays for commodity production are in the form of direct aid (i.e., decoupled farm payments).

Available budget data are also limited by reporting and accounting differences between the United States and the EU. Although annual budget data provide more updated information on farm program spending, they are not grouped into similar categories, as are the OECD and AMS data. In most cases, aggregated budget data are not directly comparable. This makes it difficult to directly compare values across different countries, without first closely examining each of the budget categories line by line, and combining and/or removing various budget subcategories.

What the Data Indicate

Despite the aforementioned difficulties in making direct comparisons, Table 3 shows available budget data for the United States and the EU compiled into two main groupings: commodity and non-commodity support. Non-commodity support includes selected agricultural conservation, rural development, and forestry programs. These groupings include

Commodity supportEuropean Union: Available EU budget data reflect reported budget outlays for two categories: "Interventions in agricultural market" (budget item 05 02) and "Direct aids" (budget item 05 03, including decoupled direct aids). United States: Available U.S. data reflect the total of commodity payments and crop insurance (premium subsidy and net indemnity payments). Non-commodity supportEuropean Union: Available EU budget data are reported across an aggregate category, "Rural development" (budget item 05 04), and there is limited information providing a detailed breakout of current budget outlays for individual conservation, rural development, and forestry activities across all EU27 countries. United States: Available U.S. data are compiled building up from comparable subcategories and excluding some categories. Included are reported budget outlays for all U.S. conservation programs administered by both USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the Farm Service Agency (FSA), select rural development programs (rural utilities loans and grants) and forestry programs (research, and state/private forest lands funding). Excluded are some programs listed under total U.S. rural development and forestry programs, including wildfire activities, the National Forest Service system, and rural housing. These subcategories do not appear to have comparable budget lines as part of the EU farm accounting.

Compiled in this manner, Table 3 shows available U.S. and EU budget data for select farm program areas, with total expenditures broken out by farm commodities and selected rural development, conservation, and forestry programs. These data show that between 2006 and 2007, EU spending for non-commodity support increased. Budget data for farm commodity support are less straightforward, since commodity prices were generally low in 2007, which complicates a comparison of the trends in overall commodity program spending.

Limited information is available within the EU's aggregate "rural development" budget category to estimate the EU's so-called agri-environmental payments. Other available budget data for the EU15 countries indicate that, on average, agri-environmental payments have accounted for about 75% of the total rural development budget item (2000-2006). EU outlays for agri-environmental programs are currently estimated at roughly $11-$12 billion per year. This compares to an average of about $5 billion in outlays for U.S. conservation programs during the same period, or less than one-half of total spending in the European Union. The EU requires its farmers to meet certain conditions related to environmental protection, food safety, and animal welfare before receiving these direct payments, whereas there are limited similar requirements of U.S. farmers regarding conservation payments.

Per-Unit Budget Estimates

Caution is needed when comparing these data as translated to a per-unit basis, such as per-acre or per-farm. Previously, the OECD reported its compiled data on a per-unit basis, but it stopped presenting data this way because it was considered too misleading, given underlying differences in farm structures.

Comparing data on a per-acre or per-farm basis is complicated by the significant structural differences between the U.S. and EU farm sectors: namely, the United States has roughly twice the farmland base of the EU but less than 15% of the total number of farms. These reported land-use values reflect all farmland, including working lands and retired farm lands, as well as lands that produce crops and animals that are not supported by, for example, the U.S. commodity programs.

Comparing budget data on a per-unit basis affects a simple inter-country comparison and may result in vastly different interpretations of the data. As an example, when expressed on a per-acre basis, the budget data show that farm expenditures are roughly five to six times greater in the EU than in the United States. When these same data are expressed on a per-farm basis, the outcome is reversed, indicating that U.S. expenditures per farm are about two to three times greater than in the EU ( Table 3 ).

Conclusions and Policy Implications

The EU is one of the United States' chief agricultural trading partners and also a major competitor in world food markets. Both the EU and the United States heavily support their agricultural sectors. Although many in Congress have historically defended U.S. farm support programs as a means to ensure that the United States has continued access to the "most abundant, safest, and cheapest food supplies in the world," long-standing criticisms and continued debate have challenged the extent of and need for government support of farm programs. In response to these criticisms, both the United States and the EU have modified their farm programs in part by expanding various types of "non-commodity" support, such as farmland conservation and rural development programs, among other programs. To date, however, non-commodity support still constitutes a very small share of total farm-level support, compared to farm production support.

Some argue that the failure of the United States and EU to reform their respective farm support programs has contributed to delays in the Doha Round of multilateral trade negotiations within the World Trade Organization (WTO). Information comparing the EU and U.S. farm support programs will continue to be of interest to Congress as the Doha negotiations continue to move forward.