Government policy and British agriculture 1917-1939

This work considers government policy towards British agriculture, and the experiences of domestic farming from 1917 to 1939. It comprises a discussion of the development and limitations of agricultural policy, the production of farm commodities, patterns of agricultural incomes, and changes in farm performance and output. Public Record Office files, parliamentary papers, ministerial publications, and surveys made by agricultural organizations, have been used to show how government policy and British farming responded to changing agricultural conditions. A large number of statistics have been compiled to clarify trends in agricultural production, agricultural incomes, and farm performance. The study is divided into a discussion of the development of policy from the First World War to 1939; an investigation of policy and production in respect of the principal farm commodities which were in receipt of government support; and an examination of the experiences of landlords, labourers, and farmers, (including an assessment of farm performance). The thesis shows how the government became extensively involved in agriculture as a result of the wartime food production campaign and its attempt to promote agricultural expansion in the immediate post-War years; and how support was abandoned and agricultural incomes generally remained low until the end of the 1920s. Agriculture suffered severely from the depression of 1929-33, which saw the institution of direct government subsidies and import protection. Once the government accepted responsibility for the welfare of agriculture, it became involved in discussions not only with domestic farmers, but also with overseas suppliers of farm produce. Although agricultural incomes rose in the 1930s, this was due not only to policy and improved farming, but also to the failure to renew farm capital. When prices fell farmers usually were able to campaign successfully for further support, until by 1939 every major product of British agriculture was in receipt of some form of government assistance.