Assistant Editor, Jenna Field
Bachelor in Business Administration major
Concordia University-Saint Paul, Minnesota
Subsidies cause much controversy. The supporters of subsidies feel that they are needed so that farmers can make a living off their farms, otherwise they would end up going bankrupt and jobless. Other supporters say that it isn’t the subsidies themselves that make trading unfair, it is the high tariffs and limited market access that cause the unfairness. Others who support subsidies feel they should not go mainly to crop growers, such as cotton or grain, they should also go to the livestock industry.
The opponents of subsidies feel since the crop is sold under the cost of production, it causes really low prices in the industry. The farmers in other countries who do not receive as much money, if any, from subsidies know they can not make a living when prices are so low. That is the main reason for removing subsidies in developed countries, to give the developing countries a chance to experience free trade and also to survive and flourish. Another example of why opponents feel subsidies are harmful is because of their effects on the environment. Subsidies cause people to only think about making a profit and not about the land and environment. If subsidies ended more time and money could be put back into the environment. Below are some perspectives on agricultural subsidies.
- Do Subsidies help farmers worldwide?
- Agricultural subsidies and the environment
- Subsidies or Market Access?
- Implication of Subsidies
- WTO Director on Subsidies
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