Greta Thunberg urges EU farm bill veto

Environmental activists on Friday piled pressure on the European Parliament to vote down the EU's massive farm subsidy bill, saying it fell short of commitments to fight climate change.

Leading climate change activist Greta Thunberg told MEPs that "this is your chance to turn empty words into action."

"The eyes of future generations are upon you," she added.

Thunberg has also taken shots at the media for putting underserved attention on a minor aspect of the package -- a proposed ban on using the term "veggie burger" for non-meat products.

The proposal, pushed by cattle and dairy farmers, was rejected as an amendment by MEPs on Friday although a ban on using "yoghurt style" and "cheese substitute" tags on plant-based goods survived.

EU subsidies to farmers are massive, compromising roughly one third all of all bloc spending for member states. In the budget proposal for 2021 to 2027 currently under discussion, 387 billion euros is earmarked.

These subsidies are fiercely defended by farming states, most notably France, Ireland and eastern European nations, where farmers have a strong political influence.

Activists are furious that only 20 percent of the planned spending will be devoted to climate friendly policies.

The MEPs are to vote Friday on their position for upcoming talks with the member state governments, which agreed on their position earlier this week.