Land policies in the member states of the European community

Abstract

Massive structural changes in farming in the member states of the EEC in recent decades have resulted in farm numbers declining dramatically and in the virtual elimination of hired non-family workers everywhere except in the UK. There is a lot of legislation affecting land ownership and use in every state but little of it is aimed at accelerating change and outmigration. The industry now is both immobile and increasingly dependent on internal recruitment of replacements. Measures everywhere favour owner-occupiers and tenants against landlords and encourage family farm operations, yet not only are the factual and theoretical grounds for much of what is done not well established, but serious problems relating to land use competition, conservation, environmental control and scale effects generally, remain unanswered.