A large majority of Europeans - 92% - are in favour of the EU continuing to pay subsidies to farmers for carrying out agricultural practices which are beneficial to the climate and the environment, an EU survey has found.

Europeans, Agriculture and CAP, a survey of over 27,200 Europeans, found that over half of respondents are “totally in favour” of the EU paying farmers for carrying out agricultural practices which are of benefit to the environment.

Since 2017, the share of respondents “totally in favour” of these EU subsidies has increased substantially, according to Eurobarometer, now representing half of respondents, up from 43% in 2017 to 50% in 2020.

Just 6% are against the EU paying farmers to carry out environmental actions.

Responsibilities of farmers

Those who took part in the survey were asked what the two main responsibilities of farmers in society should be from a list of seven.

Some 54% of respondents said “providing safe, healthy food of high quality” was the number one responsibility of farmers, followed by “ensuring the welfare of farmed animals” and “protecting the environment and tackling climate change”.

When it comes to EU farm policy, 62% believe that providing safe, healthy food of high quality should be the main objective of the EU, followed by 51% who said the EU should be “ensuring a fair standard of living for farmers”.

PGI and other labels

When it comes to labelling food, respondents were shown five logos: the organic farming logo, Fairtrade logo, protected geographical indication (PGI), protected designation of origin (PDO) and traditional specialty guaranteed (TSG).

Nearly six in 10 recognised the organic farming logo, while four in 10 are aware of the Fairtrade logo.

One in five (20%) said they were aware of the PGI, while one in 10 were aware of both PFO and TSG.

The share of respondents who are aware of the organic farming logo has risen dramatically since 2017, up from 27% to 56%.