Land-owning in the EU

A European Parliament study shows that in 2013, 3.1% of farmers control 52.2% of all farmland in the EU, with 76% of farms having the use of only 11.2% of land.

MEPs have voted in favour of supporting family farms as large agricultural holdings dominate the landscape.

“In the West of Ireland, massive land grabs have taken place over the last year that see the likes of multinational pension companies buying up large swaths of land to plant forestry,” claimed Sinn Féin MEP Matt Carthy. “This land may never make their way back into the hands of the local communities.”