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N° 199 |
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| March 2001 |
| Does Food Security Justify
Support for Agriculture? |
| Antoine Bouët |
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| Food security is often invoked to justify
protectionist policies in the agricultural sector. Yet supplies are largely guaranteed
due both to possible forms of substitution on the supply side and on the demand
side. Protectionist measures have shown themselves to be poorly adapted to the
stabilisation of world prices, when they do not in fact worsen price volatility.
Lastly, rules relating to the quality of products are preferable to traditional
forms of protection which are less direct and more expensive. The best justification
for agricultural support therefore lies in the recognition of the "multifunctionality"
of this activity. Agriculture not only produces goods, it also produces regional
and environmental services whose public nature justifies collective support. For
these reasons, CAP agricultural support should be reformed along the lines set
out by the WTO. |
Abstract |
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