Slides accompanying a talk by Jack Thurston of farmsubsidy.org, a project bringing together researchers, activists and journalists pushing for more transparency in Europe's farm subsidy system.

1. Transparency and the food system Food Thinkers series at City University 29 October 2008 Jack Thurston Co-founder, farmsubsidy.org

2. If Europeans knew how the EU spends €55 billion a year on farm subsidies... Would they approve?

3. Our method Freedom of information + Investigative reporting Vigorous debate + Better policy =

14. Poland: Top 10 recipients, 2006 & 2007 Recipient name Location Amount € Spółdzielcza Agrofirma Witkowo Witkowo Pierwsze 4 255 935 Top Farms Głubczyce Spółka Z.O.O Głubczyce 4 064 372 Top Farms Wielkopolska Sp. Z O. O. Piotrowo Pierwsze 3 991 238 Kombinat Rolny Kietrz Sp.Zo.O. Kietrz 3 814 261 Poldanor S.A. Przechlewo 3 798 350 Kom-Rol Kobylniki Spółka Z O.O. Kobylniki 2 221 563 Agro - Skandawa Spółka Z Ograniczoną Odpowiedzialnością Agro - Skandawa Sp. Z O.O. Aptynty 2 084 845 Rolnyvik Sp. Z O.O. Barciany 1 922 988 Polska Hodowla I Obrót Zwierzętami Sp. Z O.O. Szymankowo Szymankowo 1 808 175 Agri Plus Spółka Akcyjna Konarzewo 1 558 059

15. Percentage of all direct payments (2006)

16. Why? “ For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that which he hath.” Matthew 13:12

23. Direct payments, € per hectare, 2013

24. Direct payments, € per hectare, 2013 A flat payment at at €229 per hectare

25. Behind the headlines

26. Data obtained - timeline May 06 May 07 August 08 Value of payments € 33 billion € 55 billion € 66 billion Number of payments n/a 8.2 million 12.1 million Number of recipients 0.9 million 2.6 million 6.5 million Countries 8 18 21

27. 3.2 million searches since 1 Dec 2005 300 visits per day (up to 1,000) 9 pages per visit 7 minutes per visit 66 per cent new visits

28. European Transparency Initiative 30 Sept 2008: Rural development aid 30 April 2009: Direct payments

30. ✔ Name ✔ Municipality ✔ Amount

31. ✘ Business ID ✘ Geodata ✘ Schemes

32. That’s 27 websites! (even though the Commission possesses all the data itself)

34. But has it made a difference?

35. Payment limits

36. Entitlement approach v. Programming approach

38. Transparency in the food chain?

39. ‘ Supermarket Pastoral’

45. www.howstuffismade.org

47. barcode wikipedia

48. Transparency Technology Media ?

49. [email_address]