The EU Food Sector

This chapter gives an overview of the EU food sector. The chapter starts with a historical perspective on the major developments in the food sector after the Second World War. This is followed by a discussion of the structural characteristics and an assessment of the competitiveness of the sector. Next, developments in the organisation of the food supply chain and the shift in dominant players in the chain are addressed. The rising concentration in downstream segments of the food supply chain is creating concern and has spurred new initiatives at the EU policy level, such as tools to improve transparency along the chain, to facilitate producer cooperation and a ban on unfair trading practices

Volume policy in the Dutch livestock sector. An outlock of the Economic and environmental consequences

Abstract niet beschikbaarThe Dutch government sees a so-called volume policy (aimed at reducing the livestock population) as a policy of last resort to solve the environmental problems due to livestock farming. This report deals with the economic and the environmental consequences of such policy. Against the background of a reference scenario, in which the environmental targets are not realised, six alternative volume policies are being analysed. In the reference scenario pessimistic assumptions are made about the implementation of some technical measures, like the construction of manure factories. The main conclusion is that the macroeconomic consequences of a volume policy are very modest. The sectoral and the regional consequences are more drastic. A policy with the slightest economic losses is a policy which reduces the manure production of the so-called manure surplus firms or a policy which assigns production quotas for eggs, poultry and pork. Then, the environmental advantages are the greatest.VROM LN

Effects of climate change on the yield and financial returns of arable crops and grassland in the Netherlands

Abstract niet beschikbaarUsing simulation models in combination with results of "Open Top Chamber" experiments, the potential effect of climate change on the yield of arable crops and grassland in the Netherlands was estimated. The changes in atmospheric CO2 concentration and temperature were derived from two baseline scenarios with estimated atmospheric CO2 concentrations of 425 or 438 vpm in the year 2020 and 512 or 566 vpm in 2050, for a low and a high scenario respectively. In these scenarios, temperature increased by 1.5 or 1.6 _C in 2020 and 3.0 or 3.5 _C in 2050. The temporal and spatial distribution of the precipitation were affected by global change but the yearly total remained equal. Predictions of changes in yield were made using simulation models of the LINTUL-type. These model shave been applied for land use evaluation, e.g. to assess the production potentials of new cropping areas in dependence of climatic conditions and availability of water and fertilizer. The predicted yields increased in the range between 19% to 50% (grassland), 16% to 35 % (sugar beet), 7% to 32 % (potato), 4% to 8% (winter wheat), but declined for Maize (-7 to -16%). Translated to monetary effects for the producer, the effects are slightly negative, due to lower price expectations and changes in land use. The net financial losses range from -11 million guilders for potato to -158 million guilders for cereals. Other crops are within this range with the exception of positive financial return for grasslands from 266 million guilder in 2020 to 334 million guilder in 2050. The financial effects for the consumer are small: a benefit of 130 to 150 million guilder for potato due to lower prices and zero effects for all other crops. Considering the limitations of the study, which are described and discussed, it can be concluded that the predicted overall effects of climate change on Dutch agriculture will be small.RIV