An analysis of 17 key support packages is said to have found 13 that were more or less harmful to the environment.
More than three-quarters of Finnish agricultural subsidies are harmful to the environment, according to a report by the left-leaning Kalevi Sorsa Foundation. Agricultural subsidies amount to approximately 1.9 billion euros annually.
According to a report published on Wednesday, agricultural emissions account for about a third of Finland’s total emissions. Sharp reductions in emissions are essential in the next few years to meet targets set by national and EU laws.
The report analysed 17 key agricultural support packages and found that 13 of these are more or less harmful to the environment.
The Kalevi Sorsa Foundation, affiliated with the opposition Social Democratic Party, proposes that peat fields should be excluded from subsidies and that a price should be set for agricultural emissions.
“Agriculture has been supported generously. Now is a good time to discuss reforming subsidies, as the direction of agricultural policy can be changed after next year’s parliamentary elections,” says Antti Ronkainen, a just transition expert at the Kalevi Sorsa Foundation who wrote the report.
