French farmers' failure in subsidy row

摘要

FRA: French tobacco growers have failed to overturn a reform as illegal, which was approved in January to European Union (EU) tobacco production subsidies. The Union des cooperatives agricoles des producteurs de tabac de France (UCAPT) opposed the EU Council of Ministers' slashing direct support to 50%, saying it would align prices with world markets and abandon tobacco. The reform was therefore illegally "disproportionate" to its aims the union argued at the European Court of Justice (ECJ). The court rejected the union's arguments.