A second problem is that it is socially undesirable to transfer the costs of supporting farmers from taxpayers to consumers. Rich households pay a higher share of their gross income on taxes, while poorer households spend more on food.

A further limitation is that higher standards are not identical with the delivery of all key ‘public goods’ influenced by agriculture – standards are primarily related to health (and also to fertilizer/pesticide use, animal welfare etc). In particular, the ‘community preference’ does not address many biodiversity objectives for which targeted subsidies will be needed (especially habitat preservation).

You can find further thoughts on whether farmers should be compensated for stricter EU standards at http://www.reformthecap.eu/issues/policy-objectives/production-standards.