ABSTRACT
Restructuring of the agricultural industry of Britain during the twentieth century has arguably had as great an impact on rural landscapes and land use as in any period since the eighteenth century Agricultural Revolution. 1 World War II stimulated post-war changes that have been divided into two main phases labelled the ‘productivist’ and ‘post-productivist’ periods. 2 The drive towards a more efficient, productive and scientific mode of operation after World War II is reflected in a change from viewing farming as a ‘way of life’ to regarding it as managing an ‘agricultural business’. Much has been written about this change of orientation and detailed examination is beyond the scope of this chapter. 3 The turning point in the advance of the post-World War II modernizing agenda came in the early 1980s after Britain’s accession to the European Economic Community in 1973, with the attendant modification and realignment of national agricultural policy to fit with the production support measures of the EEC’s Common Agricultural Policy. At this time ‘structural surpluses’ (i.e. surplus production arising from expansionist policies) led to popular epithets such as wine and olive oil ‘lakes’, butter and grain ‘mountains’ being applied.
