Planting stuff in European Union

[VetLegion]

I'm not opposed to subsidies as such, since in our world today everyone and their sister is doing it, but I am opposed to reducing liberty. I don't see why I should be forbidden to plant whatever I want on my land and sell it to whomever I want. It is plain evil.

[Bereta_Eder]

Re: Planting stuff in European Union

Originally posted by VetLegion
Here in Croatia, we are in a (slow) process of joining the EU.

Newspapers are full of claims that we have to boost agricultural production and area planted with each produce before we enter the Union, because once we are in, we won't be allowed to expand it. They say not a single extra olive tree or wineyard can be planted once in EU.

How much of this is true?

I assume that because the amount of agricultural subsidies in the EU is limited and pretty much the same each year (about 50 billion euros), there are production quotas for both products and countries.

What happens if I want to play the game, but outside of the subsidy network? Basically, can I plant grape and produce my wine and sell it in EU, or am I literally forbidden to compete under the CAP?

If the latter is true, how does it measure with constitutions, laws and agreements guaranteeing freedom of enterprise?

Little history. europe thought it must have enough food to eat. europe made a program (CAP). europe was too sucessful. it had too much to eat.
in order to safeguard markets europe started burying food. (oh yes in the '80s trucks after trucks with oranges and what have you were dumped and buried while the children of africa had no food. sane?)

moving on, CAP takes too much money from eu budget. but farmers always help tremendous political influence. so we go with the "little by little" approach.

what happens now is: you will get less subsidies or not at all for some crops. you can either shift to different crops or stop being a farmer. if you produce stuff the EU doesn want you'll go to financial ruin. (they'll cost pennies, you'll get no money in subsidies)


also i dont think you can play with the EU by making more farms now so as to have them when you enter. but im not sure

[Dinner]

Europe had enough food to eat. In fact it had so much that farmers were going bankrupt due to low prices so France hatched the CAP, got the Germans to agree to it, and then farmers became the biggest budget pigs in Europe.

[Pekka]

Yes, if we need to do something is to kill these farmers, who leech more money than organized crime. Sometimes, the farms even d on't exists. THat's how automatical the support money is. They can leech for few years before anyone seeing, hey this **** doesn't even exist!

And of course, they cry that uuh ooh we can't live with this, well I got a message for you sheep molester, if you can't live off of it, CHANGE YOUR BUSINESS! 'well my dad's lands, I have emotions..' SHUT UP FARMER AND DIE!

They are the criminals of EU today.

[Dinner]

They really should be forced to compete on a market basis or get out of the business. I say that about all first world farmers because the first world's farm subsidies are the biggest cause of third world poverty. Subsidies result in over production and low, low prices. The first world farm ends up producing way more then market demand and then they dump it on world markets and third world farms can't even scrape out an existance.

[Pekka]

Right, and I don't hear any other businesses *****ing and extortioning governments. They have had it too good, and now they don't want to let that go away. They want free money.

[BeBMan]

VetLegion, found this on the official EU site:

http://europa.eu.int/scadplus/leg/en/lvb/l60031.htm

If I understand it correctly there are chances to plant new wine, but you have to meet certain criteria (read under "Production potential").

[Lawrence of Arabia]

the union has too many problems. Since 1995 they havnt done anything about it and more members just compounds the problem. before they admit anymore, they need to reform the way decisions are made and they need to do something about reducing the agriculture subsidies. they cant keep it up at this rate.

[BeBMan]

Can't you just plant marijuana?

[Lawrence of Arabia]

in switzerland its legal to have marijuana plants, but its illegal to smoke it.

[BeBMan]

I heard they also are for medical uses....

[Lawrence of Arabia]

probably, switzerland has hella bio tech, pharmaceutical, and medical companies and research centers.

[Bereta_Eder]

Originally posted by Lawrence of Arabia
in switzerland its legal to have marijuana plants, but its illegal to smoke it.

that reminded me of a joke a pothead at the army told me.


so a pothead die and goes to hell. there he sees endless plantations of marijuana wherever the eye could see. "this is not hell, this is heaven!" he excalims so he quickly snatches some leaves. then he searches his pockets for rolling paper. "great i also have rolling paper" then he seacrhes for a fire... no matches, nooo no in one pocket not in the other.....
then he sees a man passing by
"hey do you have a flame?"

"dude if we also had a flame, this would be heaven"

[Zulu Elephant]

Don't worry. This guys a genius and is one the case.

[Lawrence of Arabia]

not bad paiktis - but you can still eat it.