Does he take sugar?

[james armstrong]

So you thought that struggling farmers needed handouts from
the public purse in order to 

Supply the  nation’s
food? “Large payments from the Common Agricultural Policy are  justified  
if they  keep food on the nation’s
plate and the countryside from reverting to scrubland” This is the well
worn  theme  re-iterated by spoksemen of the National Farmers
Union on platforms up in the country and on radio’s  ‘Farming Today’ and in the  press. 


Questions were asked in parliament some years ago by
sceptical M.P.’s  who were  shocked at the scale of the pay-outs.   It was reported that there were six
claimants receiving individually over £1million in annual payments from the CAP
scheme.

So you think that’s bad? 
So did I until I trawled through the Defra web site (as you do when you
are sad) at www.CAP-payments.defra.gov.uk

In 2008  Czarnikow
Group London received £6,751,558.50p under the heading of  “Market Schemes”  They received 
nothing under “Direct Aid”, or “Rural Development,” probably because
their address is London EC1Y 4SG.

I don’t know if I’ve discovered the largest 2008 payout under the
CAP scheme . Tracing an individual  or
seeing the  big picture on this web site
is  very difficult - and that’s probably
not  accidental. The web site seems to be
designed to be obstructive. To give just one instance,  the pay-out of  £94,636.00 to 
“T”he Hon. And Mrs Townhend of Dorset DT2  is listed alphabetically  under “T” . Think of that!  Quite a few farms are listed alphabetically
by the name of the joint owners under “M” because the owners are 

Registered under “M” for Messrs…...    

 “Czarnikow”  raises visions of defunct Russian royal
families . And this may not be far from the truth. They have a Russian operation and  Google reveals that  the UK Czarnikow office is at 24, Chiswell
  Street, London – which
perhaps explains why  they don’t qualify
for Rural Development payments, but their head office is in Dubai.
.  At nearly £7million in one year this
is some sort of record,  (I hope) but their
web site reveals they are “large sugar brokers and consultants  and experts in sugar and biofuels.

Maybe  other sugar
companies receive huge CAP payments? Well no. 
British Sugar received a very comfortable £25,497. 52p in 2008 for their
operation in (rural) Ipswich, and for their  other operation at Peterborough
they got £212,995.35p thankyou very much. 
But then British Sugar are big, and they are British.  And maybe 
all giant food manufacturers 
receive  such huge payments? Well
no.   Kraft Foods  of Bridgend received  a mere  £1,235.75

What is sweet for Czarnikow Group Ltd leaves a  sour taste in the mouth of this town
dwelling  , British based, non
land-owning , tax payer.   James, Dorchester 		 	   		  
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