Environmental claims of new EU farm subsidy policy are questioned

Eco schemes' to be supported are undefined and three-quarters of 387bn CAP budget will go to intensive farming, say critics

The environmental claims of a newly agreed 387bn (330bn) EU farming subsidy policy have been described as a paper reality", despite a commitment that a quarter of its budget will be spent on eco schemes".

A new five-year common agricultural policy (CAP) was provisionally agreed by the European parliament, European Commission and the 27 member states on Friday after two and a half years of negotiations.