Publications
NIBIOs employees contribute to several hundred scientific articles and research reports every year. You can browse or search in our collection which contains references and links to these publications as well as other research and dissemination activities. The collection is continously updated with new and historical material.
2002
Abstract
This report looks at the special measures for agriculture within the field of taxation and social security. Chapter 1 and 2 deal with general overview of taxes and taxation principles. Chapter 3 give more detailed information of the tax system in the selected countries, US, Canada, Australia, Germany, UK, France, Ireland, Italy and Switzerland. Chapter four deals with notifications to the Committee on Agriculture in the World Trade Organisation (WTO) concerning tax measures. In chapter 5 we have tried to systematize the different tax schemes in the selected countries.
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No abstract has been registered
Abstract
Sheep and goat farming systems in this part of Europe are based on extensive use of non-fertilised natural pastures and a long barn-feeding period. One million ewes are kept for the production of meat and wool while 60,000 goats are kept mainly for themilk. The local demand for organic meat and milk is increasing gradually and 10 percent of the agricultural area is projected to be managed according to organic principles by 2010. This paper discusses the feasibility of introducing cashmere goats in an organic sheep farming production system, based on economical calculations in a Linear Programming model. Significant movements from sheep to cashmere goats production are entirely as slaughtering of eight months old kids (11 kg) is unprofitable, assuming equal labour input of goats and sheep. Yields of meat and cashmere could be improved by feeding the kids until 20 months (19 kg) so possibly making goats as profitable as sheep. The benefits of high value cashmere production and controlling bush encroachment by goats favour a mixed farming system. If yield-levels of roughage can be maintained at 75% without artificial fertilizers and challenges in housing of small ruminants are solved, a shift away from conventional farming is profitable given the current support for organic farming.
Abstract
Norwegian fluid milk consumption has declined steadily over the last twenty years, despite the dairy industry spending increasing amounts of money on advertising. Using a two-stage model, we investigate whether advertising has increased the demand for milk. No effect of advertising on the demand for non-alcoholic beverages is found in the first stage. In the second stage, an almost ideal demand system including advertising expenditures on competing beverages is estimated. The effects of generic advertising within the beverage group are positive and significant for whole milk and negative and significant for lower fat milk. The own-advertising elasticity for the combined fluid milk group is 0.0008. This highly inelastic elasticity suggests that increased advertising will not be profitable for the producers. Several cross-advertising effects are statistically significant, emphasizing the usefulness of a demand system approach.
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No abstract has been registered
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No abstract has been registered
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In this article, we present an empirical account of how the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC), as an intergovernmental body, has changed after being referred to in the SPS Agreement of the WTO as the reference point for the elaboration of international food standards. We explore key issues that have recently been discussed in the Codex and which may have a significant impact on international food trade. Further, we develop a theoretical framework based on two alternative versions of institutional theory. We then analyze the observed changes of the role and functioning of Codex from these frameworks. Our conclusion is that a logic of consequences prevails over a logic of appropriateness in explaining nation-state behavior in an international context. Finally, our study of the Codex recognizes the importance of identifying the core interests of states, their strategic use of arguments based on these interests, as well as the institutional framework that affects them.
Abstract
Development of environmentally and economically sound agricultural production systems is an important aim in agricultural policy and has a high priority in agricultural research worldwide. The present work uses results from the first complete crop rotation period (1990-1997) of the Apelsvoll cropping system experiment in south-eastern Norway, to discuss the effect of cropping systems and their management practices on environment, soil fertility, crop yields and the farm economy, and how this knowledge may be used to develop a more sustainable agriculture. The experiment includes conventional arable (CON-A), integrated arable (INT-A), ecological arable (ECO-A), conventional forage (CON-F), integrated forage (INT-F) and ecological forage (ECO-F) cropping systems which were established on model farms of 0.2 ha. On the basis of nutrient runoff, soil erosion and pesticide contamination, the following ranking from the most to the least favourable was made for environmental effects: INT-F> ECO-F> ECO-A> INT-A> CON-F> CON-A. Environmental effects such as N and P runoff losses were very much linked to the proportion of ley in the system. Thus, major improvements to reduce the effects of agriculture on nutrient runoff, cannot be achieved without changing the cropping systems in the direction of more mixed farming with reduced cropping intensity. The nutrient balance calculations showed that there were considerable deficits in the ecological systems, a fact which must be taken into consideration in the development of sustainable ecological cropping systems. The yield reduction experienced with integrated and ecological cropping, relative to conventional cropping, was smaller for forage crops and potatoes than for cereals. This suggests that it is easier to maintain the yield level by reduced cropping intensity in mixed farming systems with livestock than in arable farming systems without livestock. Because of the premium prices and government subsidies to ecological farming, the economic results were equally good in the ecological systems as in the conventional ones. Economically, integrated farming was less favourable than the other systems. It is concluded that, overall, integrated and ecological forage systems results in the least environmental harm, and based upon the present government subsidies, the forage systems also seem the most profitable, along with the ecological arable system.
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No abstract has been registered
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No abstract has been registered