As of 1 December 2016, European farmers eligible for direct payments will receive an additional €435 million, the sum amounting to the unused crisis reserve.
The European Commission made the announcement on Monday 28 November but it was no surprise. Every year since the 2013 common agricultural policy (CAP) reform, a sum is deducted from direct payments to create an annual crisis reserve for EU farmers. If the reserve is not used up by the end of the year, the money goes back to...