Overview
- An investigation by the Guardian and partner outlets found Al Nahyan‑linked companies received about €71 million in EU farm subsidies from 2019 to 2024 through holdings in Romania, Italy and Spain, which the outlets said were likely lawful under current rules.
- Romania’s Agricost, which farms about 57,000 hectares and is described as the EU’s largest single farm, received roughly €10.5 million in 2024.
- The European Commission said it will ask authorities in Romania, Italy and Spain for details because member states approve and pay these subsidies.
- Green MEP Thomas Waitz called the payouts a scandal and urged a cap of €100,000 per recipient from 2028, a step some farm groups oppose.
- The CAP totals about €390 billion for 2021–2027 and pays largely by farmed area, a design that critics say favors large estates as 99% of farms receive under €100,000 a year.