Doubts over EU green reforms

Measures to make farming in Europe more environmentally friendly may not help wildlife and could be nothing more than a "greenwash", conservationists warn.

The European Commission is set to announce proposals for reforming the Common Agricultural Policy subsidies to farmers – which at £47bn last year accounted for almost half the total EU budget and cost every person in the UK £107 a year – and is pledging to "green" the system.

Conservationists fear that there could be less money for wildlife-friendly farming. The RSPB welcomed reports that the reforms could include leaving land fallow, but feared money for environmental schemes could be squeezed. PA