Rates of Protection for British Livestock Farmers

Abstract

The principal aim of the following pages is to present the estimated rates of protection for the livestock sector of British agriculture. The livestock sector is defined to include egg and poultrymeat production, sheepmeat production, pigmeat production and two types of beef production — one intensive (based upon cereals) and one less intensive. The levels of support for these individual farming activities have been evaluated using various different measures of protection detailed in Appendix 1 — that is, Nominal Tariff Rates (NTRs), Subsidy Rates, Adjusted Nominal Rates (ANRs) and Effective Rates of Protection (ERP). The size of these alternative measures of protection has been estimated over the period 1964–79 at various intervals of time and the annual values are presented in tabulated form, commencing with the simplest measures. Each table of results is followed by a short discussion which will attempt to relate the strengths and weaknesses of the calculated values to the theoretical and practical problems explored previously. Reference to the particular price assumptions upon which the calculations of the various parameters are based will be restricted to a minimum, however, as these are presented in full in Appendix 2.

All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others.

George Orwell, Animal Farm