The United Arab Emirates' ruling royal family has benefited from tens of millions of euros in European Union subsidies for crops grown on European farmland destined for the Gulf, according to a cross-border investigation by DeSmog shared with the Guardian.
Subsidies and the Al Nahyan Family
Subsidiaries controlled by the Al Nahyan family collected more than €71 million (£61 million) in six years for farmland in Romania, Italy, and Spain. The Al Nahyans are the second richest family in the world, with an estimated wealth of over $320 billion (£235 billion), largely derived from the UAE's vast oil reserves.
The subsidies come under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), which makes up a third of the EU's entire budget, paying out about €54 billion each year to farmers. However, an unknown proportion ends up in the hands of foreign investors, including those controlled by autocratic states.
Investigation Findings
DeSmog, in partnership with Spain's El Diario and Romanian news outlet G4Media, reviewed data for thousands of CAP beneficiaries between 2019 and 2024. They traced 110 European subsidy payments to a network of companies and subsidiaries controlled by the UAE's Al Nahyan family and its sovereign wealth fund, ADQ.
The largest payments came through the Romanian agricultural company Agricost, which owns the EU's single largest farm measuring 57,000 hectares (141,000 acres) – five times the size of Paris. In 2024 alone, Agricost received €10.5 million in direct payments, more than 1,600 times the amount collected by the average EU farm.
Campaigners have expressed alarm that the UAE, widely condemned for jailing activists, criminalising homosexuality, and multiple allegations of torture (repeatedly denied by the UAE), benefits from regular EU farm payouts. The Al Nahyans and companies named did not respond to requests for comment.
Policy Implications
The findings come as policymakers debate the future of the subsidy scheme. In July 2025, the European Commission proposed capping land-based payments to €100,000 per farmer each year for the next CAP round from 2028 to 2034. A Commission spokesperson said income support should be better targeted, including by reducing and capping payments for larger farms.
Faustine Bas-Defossez, director for nature, health and environment at the European Environment Bureau, said: 'The CAP is not helping EU farmers; it continues to enrich the wealthiest landowners. And now, even worse, it is fuelling autocratic regimes.'
UAE's Global Agricultural Expansion
The Al Nahyans are the most powerful monarchy in the UAE, which is made up of seven federated states. At the helm is Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, leader of Abu Dhabi and president of the UAE. In just over 15 years, the Emirati dynasty has acquired swathes of land and agribusiness companies across Africa, South America, and Europe, now controlling about 960,000 hectares of farmland worldwide.
This expansion is part of the Emirates' food security strategy, as the country imports up to 90% of its food due to high temperatures, water scarcity, and sandy soil. In the EU, the expansion has been channelled through three main companies in Spain, Italy, and Romania.
Agricost was bought by the Al Nahyans in 2018 for an estimated €230 million through Al Dahra, the UAE agribusiness group. Al Dahra was founded by the president's brother, Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, before ADQ bought 50% of the company in 2020. Since 2012, Al Dahra has also acquired multiple farm companies in Spain, responsible for more than 8,000 hectares of land, receiving over €5 million in CAP subsidies between 2015 and 2024.
The UAE's Spanish and Romanian farms cultivate alfalfa and other crops for animal feed, with most produce exported to the Gulf. In 2022, ADQ also bought Unifrutti, a fresh fruit producer, whose Italian farms received at least €186,000 in CAP subsidies after the sale.
Criticism and Transparency Issues
The size of payouts to the UAE reflects issues with CAP subsidy calculations based on land area. The Commission's proposal to cap direct payments would affect only 0.5% of the EU's top landowners, who capture 16% of the entire CAP budget. Austrian Green MEP Thomas Waitz called it 'a scandal hiding in plain sight,' stating that 99% of real European farmers receive less than €100,000 in subsidies, which were meant to strengthen European farmers, not fossil fuel dynasties.
Despite being state-owned, ADQ is closely controlled by the UAE's ruling royal family. Marc Valeri, associate professor at Exeter University, said there is no clear boundary between state and family coffers, as the UAE is a very authoritarian and repressive regime. The UAE has some of the largest sovereign assets globally, with its seven wealth funds holding almost $2.5 trillion as of 2025, largely managed by close relatives of the president.
The subsidies traced may be just a snapshot due to patchy official data and lack of transparency. All EU countries are required to publish CAP subsidy recipients, but entries only name the direct recipient, making it difficult to identify ultimate owners.
