European agri-environmental policy for the 21st century [An earlier version of this paper was presented at the AARES conference (2000: Sydney).]

The present paper reviews the development of agri‐environmental policy in Europe and assesses its prospects. While it does so from a predominantly UK perspective, there are many common features of the experience and policy choices across the majority of Member States. The first generation of agri‐en...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Australian journal of agricultural and resource economics 2003-03, Vol.47 (1), p.123-139
Main Authors: Latacz‐Lohmann, Uwe, Hodge, Ian
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agricultural economics
Agricultural policy
Agriculture
Common Agricultural Policy
Economics
Environment
Environmental policy
Europe
European Union
Natural resources
Pollution
Pollution control
Productivity
Public finance
Wastes
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Summary:The present paper reviews the development of agri‐environmental policy in Europe and assesses its prospects. While it does so from a predominantly UK perspective, there are many common features of the experience and policy choices across the majority of Member States. The first generation of agri‐environmental measures applied command‐and‐control regulation for the prevention of pollution. Second‐generation measures pay farmers for providing environmental public goods. The emphasis on ‘amenity’ derived from the maintenance of agricultural production systems contrasts with policy approaches in Australia and the USA. Well‐designed incentive schemes constitute ‘quasi‐markets’ for public goods, correcting for a pre‐existing market failure. Problems in the delivery of policy include poor spatial targeting and a lack of clarity between environmental and income support objectives. Various changes will be required in order to increase the environmental effectiveness and efficiency of agri‐environmental mechanisms.
ISSN:1364-985X
1467-8489
DOI:10.1111/1467-8489.00206