EEC food aid

Abstract

EEC food aid is made available as one of several methods of reducing the problems of structural surplus within European agriculture. Although the majority of the aid goes to countries in need, there is no direct relationship between the severity of the need and the volume of aid. The links between food aid and European agricultural policy ensure that it is largely additional to other forms of aid. Since much of the food received as aid is sold by the recipient governments it provides a source of indirect financial aid which would not be forthcoming from elsewhere should the food aid be withdrawn. There is likely to be both a continuing need for financial assistance to the Third World and a continuation of food aid. It is important that the food aid should be effective aid, not necessarily in directly increasing food consumption in recipient countries but through its role in overall development funding. For this reason it is important that the use of the money raised by recipients through the sale of the food aid should be effectively monitored by the EEC and that food aid should be coordinated with other forms of aid to form a multi-year programme of assistance.