Daul denies abusing farm funds

Joseph Daul, the newly elected leader of the centre-right MEPs, has rejected accusations that he was responsible for the abuse of public funds.

In a press conference in Strasbourg on 16 January, Daul said: "My honesty and personal integrity have never been questioned," referring to a judicial investigation into a scheme to help cattle farmers in the late 1990s.

The scheme involved a transfer of €1.72 million funds from France’s largest cereal growers to beef farmers to help them deal with the effects of the crisis in the beef sector in the wake of the outbreak of mad cow disease in 1996.

The funds passed through the French cattle farmers’ association, the Confédération Nationale d’Elevage (CNE), of which Daul was chairman in 1996-99. In 1997 the French court of auditors criticised the way the funds were being channelled following a complaint from an association of small farmers, the Confédération Paysanne. The system was changed following the court’s comments.

Daul was interviewed by the public prosecutor in 2004.

He said on Tuesday that he was not responsible for the tax administration of the scheme but was "simply implementing what the [French] ministers of agriculture and finance asked me to do".

"I have a completely clear conscience," he said.

Daul said that he had forgotten about the affair until it was brought to light again by UK Independence Party MEP Nigel Farage when Daul was elected leader of the European People’s Party-European Democrats group.

Parliament sources said that the public prosecutor could still bring charges but this would not happen until after the French presidential elections in spring.

Asked about the affair, Hans-Gert Pöttering, the new president of the Parliament and former chairman of the EPP-ED group, said he had known Daul for many years and had "no doubt" about his "personal integrity".

Joseph Daul, the newly elected leader of the centre-right MEPs, has rejected accusations that he was responsible for the abuse of public funds.