WHAT links yak herders in Tibet, Chinese smokers and a green energy scheme in a town called The Bottom?

All have benefited from a bizarre EU fund partly ­financed by British taxpayers thousands of miles away.

5 The EU sent £100,000 from the European Development fund to yak herders in Tibet in a bid to 'strengthen civil society' Credit: Alamy

And The Sun on Sunday can reveal that EU bosses are ­demanding Britain ­continues to pay for a raft of weird schemes in far-flung spots — NONE of them in Europe.

The European Development Fund was formed in 1959 to promote economic growth and social cohesion.

Between 2014 and 2020, it is due to cost around £26billion — with Britain forking out almost £4billion.

5 A further £6million of British taxpayers' cash has gone on a scheme in Aruba, 4,590 miles from the UK Credit: Getty Images

Our contribution forms part of the £50billion “Brexit bill” being demanded by EU chiefs.

A £100,000 payout to the yak herders was meant to “strengthen civil society by improving dialogue and ­sustainable development”, according to fund documents.

British taxpayers are also paying towards a scheme to curb smoking among women and children in the remote Chinese province of Yunnan, 5,400 miles from the UK.

The three-year initiative lasts until December this year.

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Fund documents also reveal that until last month we helped pay for a three-year scheme in China “to raise public awareness, understanding and involvement regarding issues of gender, sexuality and sexual health through ­webcast, media capacity trainings and advocacy events”.

We also paid for a project to combat poverty in rural Iran, almost 3,000 miles away.

That scheme runs until the end of this year.

Other projects we helped fund include £275,000 for ­renewable energy on the tiny ­Caribbean island of Saba, which has a population of less than 2,000.

5 British taxpayer cash has also been sent to Yunnan, China, to help curb smoking among women and children

The capital of the former Dutch colony is called The Bottom.

And £6million of UK taxpayers’ money has gone on a similar scheme on the sunshine island of Aruba, off the coast of Venezuela and 4,590 miles from the UK.

The tax haven of Panama has also benefited from EDF cash, while St Lucia, a popular tourist destination in the Caribbean, won funds to boost employment on the island.

A further £400,000 of ­British cash has been lavished on an energy scheme on the Pacific island of Palau.

The only thing the EU does well is waste money. This is a classic case of it Peter Bone

Conservative MP Peter Bone said: “We don’t have any say or control over how our money is being spent. Often it is just being wasted.

"There are many reasons for coming out of the EU and that is clearly one of them.

“This organisation just fritters away money.

"The only thing the EU does well is waste money. This is a classic case of it.

“We don’t want to give it to Europe to spend on projects in China and others thousands of miles away.

"That is not where ­people in my constituency want their money spent.”

5 Until last month Britain helped pay for a three-year sexual health training scheme in China Credit: Getty Images

The EU’s chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier this week said Britain would have to pay for liabilities ­arising from various development schemes we had previously agreed to finance.

A report last month by the European Centre For Reform said British taxpayers will pay around £1billion towards the development fund despite voting to leave the EU.

Between 2008 and 2013 the fund spent around £17billion.

The think tank said: “Britain made legally binding commitments to the European Development Fund.

Member states are expected to contribute approximately nine billion euros (£7.8billion) in 2019 and 2020.

5 More funds were sent to boost employment on the island of St Lucia in the Caribbean Credit: Getty Images

The UK contributes around 15 per cent of the fund, which amounts to 1.4billion euros (£1.21billion) of unpaid commitments post 2019.”

European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker warned this week institutions on the Continent were not “naive” about Britain leaving the EU — and confirmed a divorce bill of around £50billion will be presented early in the negotiation process.

He said: “It is around that (amount).

"We have to calculate scientifically what the British commitments were and then the bill has to be paid.”

He said nothing about yak ­herders in Tibet.