> 1. The EU spends enormous sums subsidising farmers.

As if it was a charity lmao, this is a top priority, before defense even, food security will become more and more of a problem, that and water

But EU does not pay farmers to farm efficiently and produce more food but does it to keep inefficient ones going so not much to do with actual food security.

It shows free trade was a hypocritical charade even before Trump. Europe spent years inventing reasons why US grain and soybeans had to be excluded. GMO witch hunting, for example.

I think there is really good reason to throw tax money at agriculture just to keep it local. Depending on foreigners for food is bound to get you into iffy situations, and every industrialized nation acts similarly here (as many subsidies as necessary to preserve independence).

I don't think its fair to characterize GMO witchhunting as shrewd nationalistic maneuvring to circumvent free trade; my view is that this was driven mainly by genuinely convicted (idealistic instead of pragmatic) environmentalist/anti-corporate activists (similar and overlapping with anti-nuclear sentiment).