Why Danish Organic Farming Policy has been Successful

The Danish organic farming policy has proved successful in growing the market for organic food. This article outlines the architecture of the policy and explains why, unlike elsewhere, it has put considerable emphasis on demand creating measures. Finally, the conditions under which the Danish model can be transferred to other countries are discussed

Interest Groups and the Governance of Growth in Organic Farming

In this paper we probe the issue of developing capacity by exploring the organisational evolution of the key organic interest groups in Australia, the UK and Denmark. A comparison of the Organic Federation of Australia (OFA), the British Soil Association (SA) and the Danish National Association of Organic Farming, NAOF (later the National Organic Association, NOA) is particularly useful in investigating the nuts and bolts of interest group capacity development and adjustment. They emerged from a similar milieu; yet they developed their capacities very differently. While all three associations have developed capacities for the promotion of the organic sector in relation to consumers, farmers and government, they differ significantly in relation to capacity development as it pertains to policy implementation. The key differences can be explained by variation in the organic farm policies of the three countries. The comparison also demonstrates that existing groups can adapt capacities when policy changes, even where neo-liberal inspired policy strategies are deployed

Governing growth in organic farming: The evolving capacities of organic groups in the United Kingdom and Denmark

The question of the ‘policy capacity’ of interest groups is increasingly gaining prominence as a key variable in governing and transformative capacities. This raises the issue of whether group policy capacities can be developed. While group scholars have long talked of group capacity, this has largely amounted to compiling a ‘shopping list’ of possible capacities general to all groups. There has not been much attention to variations in capacity among groups, or with the development of capacity by a single group over time. This paper takes a tentative step towards filling this gap. In pursuing this general line of inquiry we argue that (i) initial ‘selection’ of group type shapes scope of capacity development, (ii) groups seek to adapt capacity to changing policy contexts, and (iii) adaptive efforts are shaped by the ‘legacy’ of the originating type – change is bounded unless the group engages in ‘radical’ organisational changes (e.g. redefinition of entire purpose). This general argument is fleshed out by comparing and contrasting the evolution of the key organic interest groups in both the UK and Denmark

Generating Governance Capacity in Infant Industries: The Development of Organic Farming in Denmark and Australia

Organic farming is of increasing interest to policy makers as it has been linked to environmental, rural development and market related outcomes which have high political salience. As such, attention naturally turns to catalysing organic growth. Patterns of growth vary considerably among countries, but existing explanations of variation lack authority. This paper compares the development of organic farming sectors in Australia and Denmark, countries at polar ends of the organic sector development continuum. They provide a good comparison as both countries share key characteristics, such as a history of state-agricultural industry partnerships, an implicit post-1980’s consensus around a market model for agricultural industry development, and the general absence of consumer distrust over food quality. After ruling out a number of well worn explanations for differential growth we focus on the role of governance capacity. We argue that the Danish case, in contrast with Australia, demonstrates that when well-developed associative and state capacities can combine alongside interest intermediation then governance capacity is generated and infant industry development is made possible

Eco-Labelling, the State and Consumer Confidence

Trustworthy eco-labels provide consumers with valuable information on environmentally friendly products and thus promote green consumerism. But what makes an eco-label trustworthy and what can government do to increase consumer confidence? The scant existing literature seems to argue that low governmental involvement increases confidence. According to this, government should just provide the basic legal framework for eco-labelling and leave the rest to non-governmental organizations. However, the empirical underpinning of this recommendation is insufficient. This paper analyses consumer confidence in different organic food labelling regimes with varying degrees of governmental involvement. Using unique and detailed survey data from USA, United Kingdom, Denmark and Sweden, the analysis shows that confidence is highest in countries with substantial state involvement. This suggests that governments can increase green consumerism through active and substantial involvement in eco-labelling

EXPLAINING THE HEALTH CHECK:THE BUDGET, WTO, AND MULTIFUNCTIONAL POLICY PARADIGM REVISITED

Three potential explanations of past CAP reforms have been identified in the literature: a budget constraint, pressure from GATT/WTO negotiations or commitments, and a paradigm shift emphasising agriculture’s provision of public goods. The presentation, content and context of the Health Check reform proposals of 2007/08 are assessed. The proposals are probably more ambitious than first supposed. The Health Check was not primarily driven by budget pressures; the European Commission’s wish to adopt an offensive negotiating stance in the closing phases of the Doha Round was a more likely explanatory factor. The EU’s response to the commodity price spikes in 2008, and its Health Check proposals, suggest that the supposed switch from a state-assisted policy paradigm to the multifunctional paradigm is more apparent than real. The shape and purpose of the CAP post- 2013 is contested, with quite divergent views among the Member StatesHealth Check, CAP Reform, WTO, Doha, paradigm change, multifunctional, Agricultural and Food Policy, International Relations/Trade, Political Economy, F13, Q17, Q18,

Organic labbeling systems and consumer confidence

A research analysis suggests that a state certification and labelling system creates confidence in organic labelling systems and consequently green consumerism. Danish consumers have higher levels of confidence in the labelling system than consumers in countries where the state plays a minor role in labelling and certification

Designing green taxes in a political context: From optimal to feasible environmental regulation

How should green taxation be designed so that it accommodates producer interests? We argue that to design green taxes which are high enough to have the desired incentive effects, tax revenues must be reimbursed, either by earmarking them for environmental subsidies or by reducing other taxes directed at industry. If green tax schemes can be designed this way, industry will have little incentive to mobilise strong opposition to green taxation. However, in practice, the requirement of reimbursement may be difficult to fulfil because, with few exceptions, polluting industries are not homogeneous. This means that reimbursement will redistribute financial resources within industry and thus create winners and losers. Still, green taxes can be used in heterogeneous industries which can be created by operating separate tax schemes for each branch of industry. The Danish case of pesticide taxation demonstrates that relatively high tax levels can be implemented if an equal relationship between the tax object and the object determining the level of refunds exists throughout the sector. This means that revenues can be reimbursed without creating redistribution within producer communities.Green taxation; Policy design; Reimbursement; Lobbyism; Redistribution

Organic farming policies and the growth of the organic sector in Denmark and the UK: a comparative analysis

There has been little systematic analysis of the extent to which organic farming policies have influenced growth in the organic sector. Analyses of organic farming policy instruments, for the most part, provide extensive and detailed reviews of instruments applied either in a single country or across countries. Hence, there is a great need to examine systematically whether there is a relationship between the introduction of organic farming policies and the growth of the organic food sector, and whether particular designs of organic farming policies are more effective than others. In this paper, we take the first step in the endeavour of analysing the effects of organic farming by undertaking an econometric analysis of the relationship between organic farming policies in Denmark and the UK and their effects on the number of farmers and growers converting to organic production