Under the typically hyperbolic headline THE RAPE OF OUR MEADOWS, today's Daily Mail claims that "the EU Commission has offered farmers inflated prices for their products". (The article is on page 13 of today's issue, but it isn't available online.)

The article places the blame on entirely the wrong shoulders. It's not the Commission that has showered taxpayers' money on the farmers - far from it. It's national governments of the EU's member countries who bear responsibility for this matter.

Year after year, the Commission has proposed to cut or restrain agriculture prices. Yet, year after year, the governments in the EU Council have watered down their proposals and agreed on price increases.

It's fashionable to blame the Commission for less popular EU policies. But the Commission can only make proposals. It's governments that take decisions.