MP Julian Sturdy under fire over EU agricultural subsidies

Coun Sandy Fraser said he had discovered the York Outer MP, who has a farm at Tockwith, has been handed more than 146,000 euros by the EU over the past 11 years.

He said all the payments were no doubt legitimate, but claimed that the amount received would come as a shock to Eurosceptics, whom the MP had sought to “appease with his rhetoric.”

The Micklegate councillor said: “Mr Sturdy mentioned Europe 11 times in his maiden parliamentary speech, but the Eurosceptics presumably did not know he received almost €14k for every one of his Europhobic comments. “People in York Outer will also be shocked that their MP supports the Conservative-led Government’s cuts that are hurting medium to low income families, and yet he received in the last 11 years just under the wages of a home careworker in farming expenses from the very EU his party criticises for waste.”

Coun Fraser said the EU dished out 55 billion euros a year in farm subsidies and according to his research, Mr Sturdy had, in 2009, received 15,000 euros under the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund and almost 2,000 euros under the Agricultural Fund for Rural Development.

Other payments over the years had included about 18,500 euros in 2007 under the single payment scheme and almost 16,000 euros in 2005 in area aid for producers of cereals, oilseeds, proteins, grass silage and set aside.

Mr Sturdy defended his record, and said all the figures were legitimate and in the public domain. “I have never hidden them,” he said.

He said Labour was entitled to raise the issue of EU subsidies, but other hugely important matters were concerning him at the moment, such as the military action in Libya.

Mr Sturdy said it was correct that he was eurosceptic, to the extent that he wanted the organisation to be reformed, but he did not support pulling out of the EU. He said he thought some form of agricultural support would always be needed.