|
At the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, say in 1750, the
population of Britain was around 6 million, quite evenly distributed
(so that the cost of transporting goods into the towns was not
excessive - with a horse and cart, every extra mile costs quite
a lot in horse-feed, and this was a limiting factor in the growth
of towns and cities). Towns were small, and localities were more-or-less
self-sufficient in food. The threefold increase in population
over the 500 years preceding 1750 had necessitated more land being
brought under cultivation and some changes in farm management
had occurred. But these were slight, until about 1720 when the
so-called Agricultural Revolution began. Between 1720 and 1750
there were radical changes in agricultural methods which, it has
been argued, prepared the ground for the subsequent Industrial
Revolution.
The next 150 years saw more great changes. The population multiplied
by six times and was 37 million by 1900. Most of the new population
were town dwellers. Also, Britain became the 'workshop of the
world' as the possibilities of mechanised industry, powered by
steam, were realised. Whether or not British agriculture could
have fed this population I am not going to examine; the fact is
that British agriculture did not feed the 37 million in 1900.As
a nation, Britain chose the commercial route similar to that adopted
by imperial Rome. The British Imperial markets may not have demanded
a large quantity of manufactured goods, but the terms of trade
were exceedingly favourable to the manufacturers because they
had no competition. So the tradition of importing food was developed,
and by 1914 it is estimated that the UK was only 30% self-sufficient
in food. Sugar from the Caribbean, grain from Canada, and eventually
meat from as far away as New Zealand poured through the British
docks.
Do not suppose that this choice of food supply came into being
without resistance. Landowners held the lion's share of political
power and the period 1815-46, which covers the most rapid expansion
of British towns and cities, was also the time for which the Corn
Laws were in force. These protected British agriculture by prohibiting
imports of grain until the market price was "320 a ton -
an astronomical price. Starvation was common among the poor, especially
when harvests were poor ……..
Since 1940, however, there has been a distinct change in policy
in Britain. The experience of the wartime blockade, with the real
possibility of serious malnutrition, once more brought the subject
of national food production to prominence. Successive governments
have encouraged increased home production of food by various supportive
measures to farmers. Just before World War II, Britain produced
about 47 per cent of the food consumed by its 16 million inhabitants.
In 1975, the proportion had increased to 55% despite the fact
that the population had grown to 55 milliion. Even making no allowance
for improvements in diet, this change represents an increase in
food production of 1 ½ times. These figures can be misleading,
but they do indicate that a revolution has overtaken British agriculture
in recent decades which is quite different from anything that
had happened before.
|