Millions of pounds of taxpayers' money intended for environmental projects is instead being used to prop up damaging farming practices across Europe, according to a report out this month.

    Could Do Better is the name of a report which has been funded by the RSPB and compiled by Birdlife International looking at environmental farming schemes being paid for by the EU through the Common Agricultural Policy （CAP）.

    The 46-page report has highlighted some of the positive work being done in EU member states with CAP funding which is helping farmers create and protect habitats for wildlife. But it also shines the light on the shameful waste of public money which is being thrown at projects which are of no benefit to the environment and are sometimes causing lasting damage.

    "In principle this European funding is great news for wildlife because it supports agri-environment schemes which protect biodiversity – but the truth is that implementation of the policy by many members states is weak," warned RSPB's head of agriculture policy Gareth Morgan.

    "In compiling this report we found examples of agricultural schemes receiving large amounts of public subsidy from the EU which had no environmental benefit at all, in fact some were causing the degradation of the environment."

    Farmland bird species are in decline across Europe and often this is linked to changes in agricultural activities. Many of these threatened species are extremely sensitive to changes in their habitat caused by intensification of farming - the Spanish imperial eagle requires large areas of sparse wood pasture rich in rabbit, the eastern European red-footed falcon requires traditional farmland with ponds rich in dragonflies and the southern European woodchat shrike requires insects and lizards who live in dry grassland with thorny scrubs.

    CAP funding falls into two pillars, the first is a basic farm subsidy and the second, "rural development" pillar, is aimed at promoting environmental protection alongside rural job creation and improving quality of life. This is done through schemes such as restoring woodlands, leaving fallow land and ensuring livestock continue to graze vulnerable meadows.

    The expenditure on the CAP will be ￡330 billion for the period 2007-2013–or 43 per cent of the total EU budget. Of this 23 per cent–or ￡76.5 billion–is set aside for rural development funding.

    "The findings of this report make it clear that the CAP is still not functioning properly and needs radical reform," Gareth added. "Agri-environment schemes can and do deliver great results for farming and wildlife, but only if member states commit to them properly – otherwise it is simply an exercise in handing out money for nothing.

    "Some EU governments are clearly unprepared to stand up to the vigorous lobbying of their agricultural sector. If they continue to put forward dodgy agri-environment schemes which have no positive impact on biodiversity then Brussels should have the backbone to kick them out.

    歐盟在生態(tài)農(nóng)業(yè)方面"本可以做得更好"

    據(jù)本月一報(bào)道稱，本預(yù)想投放于生態(tài)項(xiàng)目的納稅人的數(shù)百萬(wàn)英磅如今卻被用于破壞歐洲的農(nóng)業(yè)生產(chǎn)。

    "本可以做得更好"是一篇報(bào)道的名稱，該篇報(bào)道由皇家保護(hù)鳥(niǎo)類協(xié)會(huì)投資并且由Birdlife international編制， Birdlife international一直關(guān)注已由歐盟通過(guò)CAP付款的生態(tài)農(nóng)業(yè)計(jì)劃。

    長(zhǎng)達(dá)46頁(yè)的報(bào)道把已由歐盟成員國(guó)與CAP投資采取完的積極行動(dòng)擺在突出的位置，此類行動(dòng)一直幫助農(nóng)民繁殖及保護(hù)生物動(dòng)物。但是它也爆光了公共財(cái)政對(duì)于對(duì)環(huán)境毫無(wú)益處的項(xiàng)目上有時(shí)甚至?xí)��?duì)環(huán)境產(chǎn)生長(zhǎng)遠(yuǎn)的損害的開(kāi)支。

    皇家保護(hù)鳥(niǎo)類協(xié)會(huì)農(nóng)業(yè)政策負(fù)責(zé)人Gareth Morgan警告說(shuō)，原則上歐盟對(duì)于野生動(dòng)物的投資是一重大消息因?yàn)樗�支持保護(hù)生物多樣化的農(nóng)業(yè)環(huán)境計(jì)劃--但事實(shí)是多數(shù)成員國(guó)實(shí)施此項(xiàng)政策的力度非常弱。

    在編制這份報(bào)告的過(guò)程當(dāng)中，我們發(fā)現(xiàn)歐盟大量公共開(kāi)支用于對(duì)環(huán)境毫無(wú)益處的農(nóng)業(yè)計(jì)劃上面，事實(shí)上有些還會(huì)產(chǎn)生對(duì)環(huán)境的破壞作用。

    整個(gè)歐洲鳥(niǎo)類數(shù)量在縮減并且通常這與農(nóng)業(yè)活動(dòng)的變化緊密相聯(lián)。此類受威脅的種類對(duì)因農(nóng)田緊縮而產(chǎn)生的居住地的變更極度敏感---西班牙帝雕居住要求就很高，大范圍的植被稀疏的林地，要有很多兔子， 東歐的紅腳鷹要求晴蜓多的有池塘的傳統(tǒng)農(nóng)田。南歐的林鹡伯勞要求要有生活于有多刺的灌木干涸草地的昆蟲(chóng)及蜥蜴。

    CAP主要投資于兩點(diǎn)，第一點(diǎn)是基本的農(nóng)田補(bǔ)助金，第二點(diǎn)"農(nóng)業(yè)開(kāi)發(fā)",致力于提高環(huán)境保護(hù)，創(chuàng)造沿邊的農(nóng)村工作及提升生活質(zhì)量。這已經(jīng)通過(guò)計(jì)劃例如重修林地，保休耕地及確保家畜繼續(xù)在脆弱的牧場(chǎng)地上吃草。

    CAP的開(kāi)支于2007至2013年期間將達(dá)到￡330,000,000或總歐盟支出的43%.其中23%（￡76,500,000）專用于農(nóng)村開(kāi)發(fā)。

    Gareth 補(bǔ)充說(shuō)：報(bào)告中明確表明CAP仍然沒(méi)有正確發(fā)揮其功能并且需要激進(jìn)式的改革，農(nóng)業(yè)環(huán)境計(jì)劃能夠并且為農(nóng)田及生物產(chǎn)生很好的效果，但如果成員國(guó)承諾正確使用--否則這只是一個(gè)只花錢沒(méi)有結(jié)果的事情。

    一些歐盟國(guó)家政府明顯沒(méi)有準(zhǔn)備好對(duì)他們的農(nóng)業(yè)部門(mén)進(jìn)行激烈的游說(shuō)。如果他們持續(xù)進(jìn)一步推脫農(nóng)業(yè)環(huán)境計(jì)劃，這對(duì)生物多樣化毫無(wú)益處的，布魯塞爾可以把他們推出局外。