Thirtle et al (2003) have provided a Total Factor Productivity (TFP) index for UK agriculture. This note follows a similar methodology to construct a TFP index for Scottish agriculture beginning in 1973 and ending in 2004. Essentially, Scottish agricultural growth grew strongly during the 1970s...

Technical efficiency refers to the situation where it is impossible for a firm to produce, with the given know-how, (1) a larger output from the same inputs or (2) the same output with less of one or more inputs without increasing the amount of other inputs. In practice, the interest is on the...

Recent policy interest has been directed at the sustainability of food industries, in particular the post-farm gate food chain. This comprises of manufacturing, wholesaling, retailing and catering. In order to measure sustainability Byerlee and Murgai (2001) have argued that productivity...

The paper analyses the impact that European Union (EU) farmers’ and rural population’s awareness of biotechnology innovations and access to/trust in information on these issues (amongst other a priori determinants) have on their perceptions of risks and benefits of the applications of...

The agreement to decouple EU direct farm payments from production and introduce the Single Payment Scheme (SPS) was formally made by the Council of Agricultural Ministers in June 2003. Due to concerns raised, the SPS provided Member States the scope to retain some coupled support and this option...

A number of influential policy circles have championed sustainable intensification as an approach to meet the challenge of a growing population under increasing land constraints. Various definitions exist for sustainable intensification, but most have been focused on the environment and on the...

Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (NVZ) were introduced in response to the Nitrates Directive (91/676/EEC) which states that all EU countries must reduce the nitrate in drinking water to a maximum of 50mg/l. Farmers within a designated NVZ must adhere to strict rules over the timing and application of...

The UK post-farm gate food chain comprises manufacturing, wholesaling , retailing and catering. Current turnover is around £250 billion per annum. Total factor productivity measures the ratio of inputs to outputs. However, most studies have only included the marketable inputs and outputs within...

Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) offers a theoretical basis for developing an understanding of the relationships between attitudes and behaviour. This paper imposes the SEM framework to a compulsory regulation which focuses on reducing diffuse water pollution, namely Nitrate Vulnerable Zones...

The paper analyses the impact that European Union citizens’ access to information on climate change has on their awareness of carbon capture and storage (CCS), perceived risks and benefits of using CCS and stated choice of preferred CCS options. We use Eurobarometer data about...