Sugar beet is no longer grown due to the withdrawal of EU subsidies.

The French agricultural sector received almost €11 billion in EU subsidies.

That section is keen to buy weapons with EU subsidies.

That proportion wanted to buy arms with EU subsidies intended for peace.

Yet still nobody dares say in public that the EU subsidies may, to some extent, be money down the drain.

EU subsidies have nevertheless been widely used to encourage concentration of abattoir capacities.

We agree, of course, that this cannot be done without EU subsidies.

Incidentally, it is the first year in which the recipients of EU subsidies have to be disclosed.

Not one gramme can sell on a competitive market without EU subsidies.

A reduction in EU subsidies with the possibility of more support at national level should be the way forward in the future.