ISSUES OF AGRICULTURAL POLICY IN A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE
分析了西欧农业生产力增长与价格支持导致的生产过剩问题，探讨了共同农业政策面临的成本压力、贸易冲突及环境挑战，并思考低投入农业模式作为替代方案的可能性。
Growth in agricultural productivity and the stimulus of price supports have led to overproduction in Western Europe: in particular, the European Community has become a smaller importer and even a major exporter of several products. But as prices in the EC are usually above world levels, this requires expensive subsidisation and leads to trade conflicts. Adjustments now forced on the CAP mean a greater cost‐price squeeze, besides imposing quotas on the dairy sector. Policy aims relating to farm incomes and to market balance have thus become very difficult to reconcile. Future policy will also have to take more account of the impact of farming on the environment and of the role of agricultural activity in rural communities. Are there policy instruments, such as direct aids, which can help to achieve such diverse goals? What are the implications of changing circumstances for farming systems, and in particular can low‐input systems offer an alternative to the ‘productivist’ farming model?