The European Commission is reported to be seeking subsidy cuts that would drastically reduce the production of beef in the EU. A German newspaper, Welt am Sonntag, has reported that the Agriculture Commissioner, Franz Fischler, will propose to cap subsidies in terms of the number of cattle per hectare as well as the number of eligible cattle per farm.
Quoting a source close to the Minister, the paper says that the measures will be presented for approval at Tuesday's meeting of the Commission in Brussels. The report adds that they will then be passed to the Council of Ministers meeting at the end of the month for final agreement. EU beef sales have slumped in the past year, over widespread fears of bovine spongiform encephalopathy or mad-cow disease.
