Emerging public concerns in agriculture: domestic policies and international trade commitments

Abstract

This paper explores some aspects of emerging public concerns in agriculture. The range of issues is large and the potential implications for domestic policy and international trade are numerous. We focus primarily on animal welfare in agriculture as a case study. This exemplifies the issues that can arise regarding ethical or cultural norms in agricultural trade, when such norms are not reflected in physical characteristics of the commodity. This renders application of standard economic analysis to trade issues ambiguous and difficult. Though animal welfare concerns differ in some respects from those relating to food safety and the environment, they all raise similar challenges for policy-makers and economic analysts.