The EEC less favoured areas directive: Implementation and impact on upland land use in the UK

Abstract

This article contains an analysis of the implementation of the Less Favoured Areas Directive in the UK. The LFA policy of the EEC provides for the support of agriculture in designated areas, in order to sustain rural populations and to protect the countryside. In the UK, the directive has simply been absorbed into existing policy for upland areas. This policy seeks to maximize the production of sheepmeat and store cattle through agricultural intensification. Grants and subsidies have led to considerable deterioration of the upland landscape and wildlife resources of the uplands, with little discernable impact on maintaining rural populations.