Economic Intervention and Regulation in Canadian Agriculture

Ron Goldsmith is a professor of Geography at the Ryerson Polytechnical
Institute.

The fourteen chapters and two appendices of this work provide a solid and thoughtful assessment of the characteristics of economic regulation in a variety of agricultural sectors. The authors’ approach involves concise descriptions of different aspects of regulation, discussions of impacts, and surveys of possible policy alternatives.

Five initial chapters provide an overview of problems and policies in Canadian agriculture. Topics covered include the food system, farm income issues, and stabilization policies. Coverage of the latter topic is particularly notable for its constructive approach, which avoids paying lip service to currently popular notions concerning farm price/cost inconsistencies. Five subsequent chapters deal with a series of commodity case studies including poultry, red meats, grains, tomatoes and asparagus, and dairy products. The coverage of each is concise, reasonable, and useful for those who wish more precise understanding of agricultural price and support policies and their effects.

A final section deals more generally with the issue of “responsible regulation” in the food system. The authors do not advocate radical new directions, but they offer several meritorious comments on the subjects of formula pricing and marketing boards.

In general, this work is directed toward a readership whose interests are rather specialized. For such readers, the study represents a worthwhile addition to the literature of agricultural policy-making and economics.