Another drag as EU fails to scrap tobacco subsidies - Lynne

5.08.21pm BST (GMT +0100) Thu 27th Oct 2005

The European Parliament voted this morning to maintain over £500m in subsidies given every year to European tobacco farmers, despite a vote in the Budgets Committee in September asking that the money be earmarked for diversification and improving anti smoking campaigns.

Liz Lynne MEP, who is Co Chair of the All Party Intergroup on Cancer and who has repeatedly spoken out against the subsidies that support the industry, said today in Strasbourg,

"Today's vote is a disgrace. It highlights that the tobacco lobby is alive and well in Europe and must be defeated."

"Respiratory diseases are the second highest cause of mortality in Europe, with an estimated annual cost to the Union of €102 billion, whilst lung cancer continues to be the biggest cancer killer in Europe, accounting for 20% of all cancer deaths and yet we still cannot bring ourselves to use tax payer's money responsibly and encourage a switch in tobacco production."

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