Although it has been widely lambasted by farmers, the concept of linking subsidy payments to environmental performance has proven popular with EU citizens. According to the results of a Eurobarometer opinion poll, citizens questioned approved of a variety of proposed changes to Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) payments, including creating a ceiling for payments to individual farms and increasing ‘greening measures.’ image expired

Furthermore, pollsters also stressed the importance of small-scale farming, claiming it contributed to strengthening rural communities and supported making public the amount individual beneficiaries receive in CAP payment.

Welcoming the findings, Agriculture Commissioner, Dacian Ciolos, stated, "I have always underlined that the CAP is not just for farmers, but for all EU citizens. This poll confirms that some of the key concepts of our reform – such as ‘Greening’ and ‘Capping’ have wide public support."

Around 40 per cent of the EU budget is spent on CAP. Over the course of the last two months the Commission has leaked several draft documents detailing proposed changes it will release officially on 12th October for reforming the CAP after 2013.

Eurobarometer findings

According to the Eurobarometer poll almost half of all EU citizens (47 per cent) support an upper limit on subsidies, and 62 per cent believe the names of beneficiaries should be publicly available, along with the amount they receive.

More people back a link between payments and environmental protection as a general rule across the EU than those who support environmental protection for specific areas only. The contribution that small farms make to the social life of rural areas and their importance to the rural economy were also cited as valid reasons for supporting small farms as policy.

Nine out of ten people agree that buying local products is beneficial and that the EU should help to promote their availability, although nearly half of the respondents said they find local products hard to identify.