Fertiliser Use as Affected by Restrictive Measures

There is concern within the EC about the budgetary cost of agricultural support and possible over-production notably of dairy products and cereals. Possibilities for adjusting the supply/demand balance and reducing support costs are restrictions either on production or on inputs to farming. Either may be expected to have an impact on demand for fertilisers. This paper discusses the alternative approaches basing the argument on the results of two model studies in the Netherlands:

(a) Measures to reduce milk surpluses by the imposition of the EC quota system;

(b) Measures to rationalise and restrict the use of animal manures.