Britain presses for cut in green farming subsidies.

Byline: By Amanda Brown

Farmers could lose out on millions of pounds as the EU budget battle rages.

Cash to protect wildlife throughout Europe and funds that reward farmers for protecting the environment will be cut by a quarter if the UK Government gets its way, campaigners warned yesterday.

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds say that ministers plan to sacrifice green funds to win over European colleagues in a last ditch attempt to agree the EU budget for 2007 to 2013.

The UK's plan means that the European Commission's proposed e89bn budget to pay European farmers for using wildlife-friendly measures ( already reduced to e74bn in June ( will drop to e66bn over the period 2007-2013.

The RSPB say this was the only part of the Common Agricultural Policy budget that funded environmentally sensitive farming.

The rest ( around e300bn, which would barely be touched ( was spent on subsidies.

Graham Wynne, chief executive of the RSPB, said: "The budget for sustainable farming was already too small to meet the EU's own commitment to halting the decline of wildlife by 2010.

"The UK proposal undermines the spirit of recent agriculture reform.

"This reform sought to boost the role of rural development within the CAP.

"Last week, the Government published its vision for European agriculture supported by rural development payments and a brighter future for farmers, wildlife and rural communities.

"This week it is proposing to slash these same payments across the continent. The UK budget proposal is nothing short of a contradiction of the Government's vision for the future of farming and the environment."

The RSPB said the UK proposal did enable each EU state to switch cash from its subsidy pot to the budget that funded green farming measures, but few states were likely to take up this option.