Comments on: New Danish farms minister in subsidy storm http://capreform.eu/new-danish-farms-minister-in-subsidy-storm/ Europe's common agricultural policy is broken - let's fix it! Tue, 08 May 2012 21:27:23 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Nils Mulvad http://capreform.eu/new-danish-farms-minister-in-subsidy-storm/comment-page-1/#comment-42937 Nils Mulvad Sat, 06 Mar 2010 05:27:16 +0000 http://capreform.eu/?p=1389#comment-42937 It turns out that the proposal for abolishing the taxes for farmland will hurt the local municipality, Lolland, in Denmark most. And that's exactly where the new minister of Agriculture Henrik Høegh runs his farm. So this will save a lot of money for all landowners and it will make it difficult for the municipalities later to use this way of getting income. Mr. Høegh promises to compensate the local municipalities with state aid, but let's see how this is distributed now and in the coming years. It's very difficult to make an aid, which actually makes a fair compensation on something which is decided on a local basis. At Aabenhedstinget we have published the list of how much money each of the 98 Danish municipality will loose. Look here: http://www.aabenhedstinget.dk/?p=765 It has been mentioned at the website for The Danish Broadcast Corporation here: http://www.dr.dk/Regioner/Sjaelland/Nyheder/Lolland/2010/03/04/165628.htm And it is in a blog here: http://www.180grader.dk/Politik/foedevareministerens-hjemkommune-scorer-mest-saerstoette-til-landbrug All this is in Danish - but just to add some links to the discussion. It turns out that the proposal for abolishing the taxes for farmland will hurt the local municipality, Lolland, in Denmark most. And that’s exactly where the new minister of Agriculture Henrik Høegh runs his farm. So this will save a lot of money for all landowners and it will make it difficult for the municipalities later to use this way of getting income.
Mr. Høegh promises to compensate the local municipalities with state aid, but let’s see how this is distributed now and in the coming years. It’s very difficult to make an aid, which actually makes a fair compensation on something which is decided on a local basis.
At Aabenhedstinget we have published the list of how much money each of the 98 Danish municipality will loose. Look here:
http://www.aabenhedstinget.dk/?p=765
It has been mentioned at the website for The Danish Broadcast Corporation here:
http://www.dr.dk/Regioner/Sjaelland/Nyheder/Lolland/2010/03/04/165628.htm
And it is in a blog here:
http://www.180grader.dk/Politik/foedevareministerens-hjemkommune-scorer-mest-saerstoette-til-landbrug
All this is in Danish – but just to add some links to the discussion.

]]> By: mr ashenden http://capreform.eu/new-danish-farms-minister-in-subsidy-storm/comment-page-1/#comment-42911 mr ashenden Tue, 02 Mar 2010 07:30:04 +0000 http://capreform.eu/?p=1389#comment-42911 I sort of agree with Your point about what a minister should do and what he should be made of. I guess it's rather often the case that the minister is usually a loyal party servant (that's why he got the appointment) whilst really being a weak leader and therefore has no real power and guidance over the ministrys civil servants. If the minister is weak (and a lot of them are), it's the civil servants who run the show. Which isn't neccessarily a bad thing, but it's usually not a good thing. The classic "Yes, (Prime) Minister!" comes to mind ;) To be honest, as far as I have seen there are no ministrys "of" sth. The system dictates that each and every ministry is "for" sth. Which I guess is somewhat inevitable in a democracy. I didn't know about the plans of the Danish government considering the abolishing of taxes for farms, so if You could pass out some links or sth for further reading, I would be grateful. As far as I understand, this move might constitute as illegal state aid, although I do aunderstand that taxes is a whole different ballgame in the EU level. I sort of agree with Your point about what a minister should do and what he should be made of. I guess it’s rather often the case that the minister is usually a loyal party servant (that’s why he got the appointment) whilst really being a weak leader and therefore has no real power and guidance over the ministrys civil servants. If the minister is weak (and a lot of them are), it’s the civil servants who run the show. Which isn’t neccessarily a bad thing, but it’s usually not a good thing. The classic “Yes, (Prime) Minister!” comes to mind ;)

To be honest, as far as I have seen there are no ministrys “of” sth. The system dictates that each and every ministry is “for” sth. Which I guess is somewhat inevitable in a democracy.

I didn’t know about the plans of the Danish government considering the abolishing of taxes for farms, so if You could pass out some links or sth for further reading, I would be grateful. As far as I understand, this move might constitute as illegal state aid, although I do aunderstand that taxes is a whole different ballgame in the EU level.

]]> By: Jack Thurston http://capreform.eu/new-danish-farms-minister-in-subsidy-storm/comment-page-1/#comment-42905 Jack Thurston Mon, 01 Mar 2010 16:15:13 +0000 http://capreform.eu/?p=1389#comment-42905 @ Mr Ashenden: Perhaps we have rather different views on what is the role of a minister. In my view (and perhaps this is informed by the British system of parliamentary democracy), ministers are not required to come to the job as experts in their field. Rather, they should be able to master the subject quickly, ask the right questions of the experts in the Ministry (civil servants), listen to the various interests from society, set the overall policy direction, make decisions and be accountable for those decisions to parliament and the public. The minister is the representative of the public at large, not the servant or representative of one of the sectoral client groups with a particular interest in the work of the ministry. I think we are talking here about the difference between a "Ministry <em>of</em> Agriculture" and a "Ministry <em>for</em> Agriculture". In my experience of government, it is generally a mistake to put experts in charge of the ministries relevant to their expertise, e.g. having a doctor running the Department of Health, a teacher running the Department of Education, a film director running the Department of Culture, a train driver running the Department of Transport. Such people usually come with too many preconceptions and a too narrowly defined outlook. If this problem is compounded by the minister having a direct financial interest in the decisions he or she is making, we risk to be in an even worse position. Of course you're right about Denmark not being a traditional protectionist country, but I should add that the Danish government is currently considering exempting all farms from all taxes, a policy which would clearly benefit Mr Høegh. @ Mr Ashenden:
Perhaps we have rather different views on what is the role of a minister. In my view (and perhaps this is informed by the British system of parliamentary democracy), ministers are not required to come to the job as experts in their field. Rather, they should be able to master the subject quickly, ask the right questions of the experts in the Ministry (civil servants), listen to the various interests from society, set the overall policy direction, make decisions and be accountable for those decisions to parliament and the public. The minister is the representative of the public at large, not the servant or representative of one of the sectoral client groups with a particular
interest in the work of the ministry.

I think we are talking here about the difference between a “Ministry of Agriculture” and a “Ministry for Agriculture”.

In my experience of government, it is generally a mistake to put experts in charge of the ministries relevant to their expertise, e.g. having a doctor running the Department of Health, a teacher running the Department of Education, a film director running the Department of Culture, a train driver running the Department of Transport. Such people usually come with too many preconceptions and a too narrowly defined outlook. If this problem is compounded by the minister having a direct financial interest in the decisions he or she is making, we risk to be in an even worse position.

Of course you’re right about Denmark not being a traditional protectionist country, but I should add that the Danish government is currently considering exempting all farms from all taxes, a policy which would clearly benefit Mr Høegh.

]]> By: mr ashenden http://capreform.eu/new-danish-farms-minister-in-subsidy-storm/comment-page-1/#comment-42904 mr ashenden Mon, 01 Mar 2010 14:45:14 +0000 http://capreform.eu/?p=1389#comment-42904 I guess it is rather typical that a large proportion of the people, who know about agriculture (I mean more than a citizen who thinks food comes from the supermarket), quite regularily happen to be involved in the field as a farmer themselves. Would we be happy having farm ministers who know nothing about the special nature [lets not start a debate on this issue right now, okay ;)] of agriculture? I guess not. To be honest, as a citizen of a EU country, I'd rather accept some danger of a conflict of interest, than having people with no experience in agriculture working as minister (and we do have ministers who are not very knowledgeable about their field of work ;) Plus, let's not forget that Denmark is not your average protectionist regarding the future of CAP ;) I guess it is rather typical that a large proportion of the people, who know about agriculture (I mean more than a citizen who thinks food comes from the supermarket), quite regularily happen to be involved in the field as a farmer themselves.

Would we be happy having farm ministers who know nothing about the special nature [lets not start a debate on this issue right now, okay ;) ] of agriculture? I guess not.

To be honest, as a citizen of a EU country, I’d rather accept some danger of a conflict of interest, than having people with no experience in agriculture working as minister (and we do have ministers who are not very knowledgeable about their field of work ;)

Plus, let’s not forget that Denmark is not your average protectionist regarding the future of CAP ;)

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