Agriculture, Trade, and the Environment

Book excerpt: This publication, part of a series of OECD studies which investigate trade policies, agricultural production and their impact on the environment, focuses on the dairy sector in OECD countries. Chapters discuss a range of issues including: the environmental impacts of dairy farming in terms of water pollution, greenhouse gases, soil quality, water use and biodiversity; the structure and practices of dairy production; agricultural support policies; the consequences of further trade liberalisation and the likely expansion of milk production; economic instruments, command and institutional policy measures; and competitiveness issues, including the effect of manure management regulations. The report contains agri-environmental indicators for the dairy sector, and also considers policies that OECD governments, particularly in Europe, have introduced to promote organic milk production and their impact on trade flows.