Agriculture Bill

The government committed itself to permanent cultivation of fertile land in this bill through subsides and guaranteed prices. “The government’s aim was to maintain high levels of agricultural production through a system of guaranteed prices negotiated annually by the Ministry of Agriculture and the [National Farmers’ Union]. The government subsidised shortfalls between market prices for food and the income requirements of farmers. It actively promoted the marketing of foodstuffs through the marketing boards, which had been set up before the war.”