The US produces crops worth an annual $125 billion (much of it surplus) and has decided to shell out $180 billion on farm subsidies. [ Source: New Scientist vol 174 issue 2348 - 22 June 2002, page 11 ("Biotech's cash benefits may not be what they seem") ]
Meanwhile in the EU we pay folk to grow things, to store the surpluses, to destroy the surpluses, to sell the surpluses below cost outside the EU and not to grow anything at all (the "set aside" scheme). Don't know what it all costs but you could probably have gotten a matching set of ISS's for it over the years.
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Putting $40 billion in context:
The US produces crops worth an annual $125 billion (much of it surplus) and has decided to shell out $180 billion on farm subsidies.
[ Source: New Scientist vol 174 issue 2348 - 22 June 2002, page 11 ("Biotech's cash benefits may not be what they seem") ]
Meanwhile in the EU we pay folk to grow things, to store the surpluses, to destroy the surpluses, to sell the surpluses below cost outside the EU and not to grow anything at all (the "set aside" scheme). Don't know what it all costs but you could probably have gotten a matching set of ISS's for it over the years.