Profound Changes took place in British Agriculture between 1875 and 1914. After the prosperous years of the mid-nineteenth century came a period of difficulty for landowners and farmers, with falling prices, lower rents and untenanted farms. Previously attributed to bad seasons and increased food imports, this book questions whether the unexpected depression was rather the evolutionary upheaval of a system forced reluctantly into change. Undoubtedly there was a crisis, in these decades farming ceased to be Britain's major industry; no longer able to supply all her own food, the country came to depend increasingly upon imports. Methods changed, cereal production yielding pre-eminence to pastoral farming. In recent years scholars have challenged traditional interpretations of the crisis, seeking a wider range of causes, characteristics and consequences. It has come to be seen as a phenomenon of change as much as of decay. This book brings together different views of the depression, ranging from contemporary evaluations to recent regional and econometric studies which stress its spatial and developmental character. Originally published in 1973, these eight contributions provide a survey of changing approaches to one of the major economic crises in modern history.

This highly readable and up-to-date history provides an informative critique of the causes and consequences of the modern agricultural revolution, since the agricultural depression of the inter-war period. This includes evaluating the impact of the Second World War, the post-war scientific and technological revolutions and the metamorphosis in the role of the state. It also examines the impact of the Common Agricultural Policy and the more recent attempts to rationalize production. The book provides the essential background for an objective appreciation of modern agricultural development.

Profound Changes took place in British Agriculture between 1875 and 1914. After the prosperous years of the mid-nineteenth century came a period of difficulty for landowners and farmers, with falling prices, lower rents and untenanted farms. Previously attributed to bad seasons and increased food imports, this book questions whether the unexpected depression was rather the evolutionary upheaval of a system forced reluctantly into change. Undoubtedly there was a crisis, in these decades farming ceased to be Britain's major industry; no longer able to supply all her own food, the country came to depend increasingly upon imports. Methods changed, cereal production yielding pre-eminence to pastoral farming. In recent years scholars have challenged traditional interpretations of the crisis, seeking a wider range of causes, characteristics and consequences. It has come to be seen as a phenomenon of change as much as of decay. This book brings together different views of the depression, ranging from contemporary evaluations to recent regional and econometric studies which stress its spatial and developmental character. Originally published in 1973, these eight contributions provide a survey of changing approaches to one of the major economic crises in modern history.

This book provides a multidisciplinary analysis of the impact of Brexit on British agriculture and associated areas, discussing the Common Agricultural Policy and the Agriculture Act 2020. The Brexit referendum provoked new debates and questions over the future of agriculture in Britain and the potential positive and negative impacts of Brexit on both farmers and consumers. These debates, as well as the ensuing proposals relevant to the Agriculture Act 2020, have exposed the multidimensional effects of Brexit when it comes to agriculture. With a focus on profitability, the rights of farmers, environmental protection, as well as animal welfare, this book brings together an interdisciplinary analysis of the future of British agriculture in post-Brexit Britain. More specifically, it addresses the criticisms over the Common Agriculture Policy, presents an analysis of the Agriculture Act 2020, and considers suggestions for future developments. Through this analysis, the book suggests a way towards the future, with a positive outlook towards a competitive and sustainable agriculture that will satisfy the needs of farmers and consumers while ensuring environmental protection, animal welfare, and rural development. This book will be of great interest to students and scholars of food and agricultural policy and politics, agroecology and rural development, as well as policymakers involved in Britain’s post-Brexit environmental policy.

This volume comprehensively describes how British farmers coped with the problems of shortage of labour and other factors of production, as well as assessing how well agriculture performed as a supplier of food to the nation. Use of previously neglected records provides much evidence on issues such as the deployment of substitute labour and the introduction of the tractor into British farming for the first time. Challenging accepted view on the period, the author shows that shortages of labour and other factors of production had only a slight effect on farm output and the national food supply.