Brexit and tariff rate quotas on EU imports: a complex problem

Tariff rate quotas (TRQs) are a means by which non-EU suppliers of agri-food products can be given preferential access to EU markets within a regulated framework of quotas at tariff rates below the Most Favoured Nation rates bound in the GATT. TRQs are common in governing trade in the meat and dairy sectors of the EU, although they apply to a wide range of other agricultural commodity and processed agri-food products. Brexit poses a complex set of problems regarding TRQs in terms of how the respective parties should divide up jointly undertaken commitments within the WTO, since TRQs have been negotiated by the Commission on behalf of all EU Member States. Whilst individual quota allocations can be allocated to specific third country suppliers, individual Member States receive no specific allocation of the global product TRQ either in total, or from any named preferential supplier. The article outlines the nature of TRQs in the meat and dairy sectors of the EU, and how a simple partitioning of existing quotas between the EU-27 and the UK is unlikely to resolve the complex issue of access rights of third countries to both markets. Possible solutions are explored, including the potential need for reciprocal EU-27–UK TRQs post Brexit

Urban consumer attitudes to fresh produce safety in China

The objective of this study was to explain the determinants of the fresh vegetables purchase decision by Chinese urban consumers in Beijing including awareness and attitudes to food safety, and their willingness to pay (WTP) more for specific safety characteristics when buying fresh vegetables. The research rationale arises out of a history of food safety scares and scandals in China, and a national government response to promote quality assurance and safety through labelling. The primary hypothesis was that an understanding of food safety system s and product labelling, and trust in supply chain integrity would be key determinants in consumer willingness to purchase and pay more for safety assured vegetables. Based on a questionnaire survey of consumers in Beijing, the analysis found that the major factors underlying the purchase decision of fresh vegetables were product freshness, convenience and competitive price rather than assured product labelling. The decisions whether to purchase assurance-labelled vegetables and WTP more for chemical residue-free product were analysed by binomial and ordinal multinomial logit modelling respectively. It revealed a WTP moreof between 20% and 40%. Monthly household income was a key determinant of both quality assured product and WTP, together with degree of concern over residues, trust in reta iler and assurance labels and place of purchase. The results suggest much still remains to be done to build trust though rigorous monitoring and enforcement of food safety standards to improve supply chain integrity and consumer confidence

The effects of weather on oilseed rape (OSR) yield in China: future implications of climate change

Understanding the role of climatic factors on crop yields is essential in predicting the future impact of climate change. In order to understand the influence of climatic factors on OSR, detailed farm-level panel data from 2566 farms across 67 counties of the 6 major OSR production regions in China, from the surveys conducted by the national OSR industry project between 2008 and 2013, were used to examine the contribution of changes in selected climatic variables between 2008 and 2013 to yield variation. Spatial and temporal patterns of the relationships between OSR yield, climatic factors were estimated together with the effects of farmer adaptation and management practices on yield variability. The analysis revealed that yields in the low-latitude production regions were more sensitive to temperature increases and likely to decline. Precipitation was the most influential factor on yield at the first two growth stages; temperature and sunshine hours were most important at the third and fourth growth stages, respectively. Labour input was the most influential management factor affecting yields compared with fertilizer and other inputs. The study concludes that projection of future climate change impacts will need inter alia to incorporate more sophisticated and detailed measures of climatic variables than simple means of temperature and precipitation, incorporating timing in relation to plant growth and yield

Can nutritional manipulation enhance immune competence in broiler chickens?

Background - Antibiotic use for disease control in animal production systems, such as the chicken meat broiler industry, has been implicated in the development of antibiotic resistance in humans. As a result, there is increasing interest in the manipulation of nutrition and the development of new vaccination programs to enhance immune competence. Objective - To determine whether nutrition could be used to enhance immune competence through supplementation of broiler diets with vitamins A, C and E and the minerals zinc, copper and selenium. Design - To vary the extent of challenge to the immune system, two different housing environments (optimal and suboptimal) were used. Two diets were fed in each environment (nutritionally enriched vs control) and half of the birds within each diet group and environment were vaccinated with a live vaccine for coccidiosis (containing various Eimeria strains) whilst the other half were not. The trial was conducted over a six-week period during which time body weight, weekly feed intake and indicators of immune competence (white blood cell counts and bursa and thymus weights) were measured. Outcomes - Results showed increased bursa and thymus weights in chickens in the suboptimal environment suggesting the level of infection was greater. Eosinophil counts were significantly greater (P<0.05) in birds fed the enriched diet and in vaccinated birds, suggesting an enhanced response to the coccidiosis parasites. Conclusions - These results are promising for the use of dietary manipulation as an alternative to antibiotic treatment in the future

The outlook for agriculture in the United Kingdom (1980 and beyond)

3.00SIGLELD:f81/0964 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo

New annual and short-lived perennial pasture legumes for Australian agriculture--15 years of revolution

Fifteen years ago subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum) and annual medics (Medicago spp.) dominated annual pasture legume sowings in southern Australia, while limited pasture legume options existed for cropping areas of subtropical Australia. Since then a number of sustainability and economic challenges to existing farming systems have emerged, exposing shortcomings in these species and the lack of legume biodiversity. Public breeding institutions have responded to these challenges by developing 58 new annual and short-lived perennial pasture legumes with adaptation to both existing and new farming systems. This has involved commercialisation of new species and overcoming deficiencies in traditional species. Traits incorporated in legumes of Mediterranean Basin origin for the Mediterranean, temperate and southern subtropical climates of Australia include deeper root systems, protection from false breaks (germination-inducing rainfall events followed by death from drought), a range of hardseed levels, acid-soil tolerant root nodule symbioses, tolerance to pests and diseases and provision of lower cost seed through ease of seed harvesting and processing. Ten new species, French serradella (Ornithopus sativus), biserrula (Biserrula pelecinus), sulla (Hedysarum coronarium), gland (Trifolium glanduliferum), arrowleaf (Trifolium vesiculosum), eastern star (Trifolium dasyurum) and crimson (Trifolium incarnatum) clovers and sphere (Medicago sphaerocarpos), button (Medicago orbicularis) and hybrid disc (Medicago tornata x Medicago littoralis) medics have been commercialised. Improved cultivars have also been developed of subterranean (T. subterraneum), balansa (Trifolium michelianum), rose (Trifolium hirtum), Persian (Trifolium resupinatum) and purple (Trifolium purpureum) clovers, burr (Medicago polymorpha), strand (M. littoralis), snail (Medicago scutellata) and barrel (Medicago truncatula) medics and yellow serradella (Ornithopus compressus). New tropical legumes for pasture phases in subtropical cropping areas include butterfly pea (Clitoria ternatea), burgundy bean (Macroptilium bracteatum) and perennial lablab (Lablab purpureus). Other species and cultivars of Mediterranean species are likely to be released soon. The contributions of genetic resources, rhizobiology, pasture ecology and agronomy, plant pathology, entomology, plant chemistry and animal science have been paramount to this success. A farmer survey in Western Australia has shown widespread adoption of the new pasture legumes, while adoption of new tropical legumes has also been high in cropping areas of the subtropics. This trend is likely to increase due to the increasing cost of inorganic nitrogen, the need to combat herbicide-resistant crop weeds and improved livestock prices. Mixtures of these legumes allows for more robust pastures buffered against variable seasons, soils, pests, diseases and management decisions. This paper discusses development of the new pasture legumes, their potential use and deficiencies in the current suite. 'Ground–breaking Stuff’- Proceedings of the 13th Australian Society of Agronomy Conference, 10-14 September 2006, Perth, Western Australia