| Abstract: | Tariffs and quotas against the Six are not consistent with Britain as a part of the Common Market. Such restrictions have produced the traditional policy for horticulture in Britain. Now their removal is threatened and with it the incomes of our producers. This paper attempts to measure the seriousness of the threat to British growers. Three features are most relevant to this question. Firstly, somewhat less than two-thirds of the producers depend wholly on income from horticultural produce. Secondly, only one-tenth of the producers account for two-thirds of the output. Thirdly, horticultural produce is of distinct types, decorative, dessert, salad, or staple, and the future demand and supply prospects vary accordingly. The E.E.C. is poised to send us more glasshouse vegetables and more apples and pears. Thus the most highly capitalised sectors of horticulture are most vulnerable and those growers with modernised investment will best meet the increased competition. The future will see further adjustment within the industry, but the outcome will mainly depend on the general level of prosperity in Britain. |
