Agricultural Policies in OECD Countries - At a Glance 2008 (Paperback)

In 2007, support to farmers in OECD countries from agricultural policies accounted for 23% of the farmers gross receipts, down from 26% in 2006 and 28% in 2005. With prices for major agricultural commodities rising steeply on international markets, partly owing to high oil prices and policy-induced expansion of crops for biofuels, the gap between supported domestic and world prices has narrowed considerably, contributing to the lowest level of producer support since the estimates began in the mid-1980s. Progress has been made in moving away from the most production- and trade-distorting policy measures, although these continue to dominate producer support in most OECD countries. The buoyant market offers opportunities to further reform policies, with potentially beneficial impacts on developing countries, consumers and the environment. This report is a unique source of up-to-date estimates of support to agriculture. It provides an overview of agricultural support in the OECD area, complemented by individual chapters on agricultural policy developments in all OECD countries. The indicator database is available on line: www.oecd.org/tad/support/psecse. Agricultural Policies in OECD countries: At a Glance is published every other year, alternating with a full-fledged version Agricultural Policies in OECD Countries: Monitoring and Evaluation.