Europe’s agriculture policy seriously damages people’s health

Around 9000 deaths a year result from the European Union’s common agriculture policy (CAP), a new report says.

The study attributes some 7000 deaths from cardiovascular causes and 2000 from stroke to CAP, which has a major influence on nutrition across Europe, including increasing the availability and consumption of products containing saturated fats (Bulletin of the World Health Organization doi: 10.2471/BLT.07.042069).

“CAP reforms are urgently required,” the authors write. “CAP, while established on the basis of sound public health principles, may now have become a hazard to public health throughout the EU and may be promoting inequalities in health through the types of food consumed. …