BRUSSELS, June 22 (UPI) -- The European Union's agriculture commissioner proposed Wednesday to wean the continent's sugar producers from their EU subsidies.
Mariann Fischer Boel recommended a 39-percent cut in the EU-guaranteed sugar price plus a "compensation scheme" for unprofitable sugar producers who may be forced to halt production because of the resulting price drop, the Financial Times reported.
Boel's action follows a successful challenge of the subsidy before the World Trade Organization by Brazil, Australia and Thailand.
Currently, Brussels buys sugar from European producers at about three times the world market price.
Boel's proposal is a direct assault on a pillar of EU farm policy and likely to expose her to intense pressures.
"I am fully aware of the bitterness of the battle that lies ahead," Boel said. "But I am equally convinced that there is no alternative."
