Editing Agricultural subsidy (section)

== History ==
On the earliest known interventions in farming markets was the [[Corn Laws|English Corn Laws]], which regulated the import and export of grain in Great Britain and Ireland for centuries. The laws were repealed in 1846.<ref name="Agricultural Subsidy Programs">Daniel A. Sumner, [https://www.econlib.org/library/Enc/AgriculturalSubsidyPrograms.html Agricultural Subsidy Programs]</ref> Agricultural subsidies in the twentieth century were originally designed to stabilize markets, help low-income farmers, and aid rural development.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://food-studies.net/foodpolitics/agricultural-subsidies/jades-sample-page/|title=History of Agricultural Subsidies in the US and EU|website=food-studies.net|language=en-US|access-date=2018-11-27|archive-date=10 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180910221639/http://food-studies.net/foodpolitics/agricultural-subsidies/jades-sample-page/|url-status=dead}}</ref>{{Unreliable source?|reason=Website created as part of an introductory class assignment, essentially self-published|certain=y|date=November 2018}} In the United States, President [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] signed the [[Agricultural Adjustment Act]], as part of the [[New Deal]] in 1933. At the time the economy was in a severe depression and farmers were experiencing the lowest agricultural prices since the 1890s.<ref>Hurt, R. Douglas, Problems of Plenty: The American Farmer in the Twentieth Century, (Chicago: Ivan R. Dee, 2002), 67.</ref> The plan was to increase prices for a range of agricultural products by paying farmers to destroy some of their livestock or not use some of their land - known as land idling.<ref name="Agricultural Subsidy Programs"/> This led to a reduction in supply and smaller agricultural surpluses. Initially seven products were controlled: ([[Maize|corn]], [[wheat]], [[cotton]], [[rice]], peanuts, [[tobacco]] and [[milk]]).<ref>Rasmussen, Wayne D., Gladys L. Baker, and James p. Ward, "A Short History of Agricultural Adjustment, 1933-75." Economic Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Agriculture Information Bulletin No. 391 (March 1976), pg. 2.</ref> Unlike traditional subsidies that promote the growth of products, this process boosted agricultural prices by limiting the growth of these crops.

In Europe, [[Common Agricultural Policy|Common Agricultural Policy (CAP)]] was launched in 1962 to improve agricultural productivity. According to the [[European Commission]], the act aims to

* Support farmers and improve agricultural productivity, so that consumers have a stable supply of affordable food
* Ensure that [[European Union]] (EU) farmers can make a reasonable living
* Help tackling climate change and the sustainable management of natural resources
* Maintain rural areas and landscapes across the EU
* Keep the rural economy alive by promoting jobs in farming, agri-foods industries and associated sectors<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ec.europa.eu/info/food-farming-fisheries/key-policies/common-agricultural-policy/cap-glance_en|title=The common agricultural policy at a glance|website=European Commission - European Commission|language=en|access-date=2018-11-27}}</ref>

[[File:Meat Atlas 2014 subsidies animal products.png|thumb|250px|OECD countries support their livestock and dairy industries with subsidies worth billions of dollars.<ref>[[Meat Atlas]] 2014 – Facts and figures about the animals we eat, page 20, download [https://www.foeeurope.org/sites/default/files/publications/foee_hbf_meatatlas_jan2014.pdf Meat Atlas] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160729165403/https://www.foeeurope.org/sites/default/files/publications/foee_hbf_meatatlas_jan2014.pdf |date=29 July 2016 }} as pdf</ref><ref>[http://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/agriculture-and-food/agricultural-policy-monitoring-and-evaluation-2013_agr_pol-2013-en OECD, Agricultural Policy Monitoring and Evaluation 2013, 2013, p. 317, table: "OECD: Producer Single Commodity Transfers (USD)"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160412191329/http://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/agriculture-and-food/agricultural-policy-monitoring-and-evaluation-2013_agr_pol-2013-en |date=12 April 2016 }}</ref>]]