This paper examines whether the growth in agricultural trade of 69 countries between 1996 and 2006 has taken place at the intensive or the extensive margin. The paper addresses the questions: have agricultural exports during this period expanded more through the intensive margin (more exports of established goods to traditional partners) or through the extensive margin (new trade flows in new products and/or to new partners)? At the intensive margin, do richer countries export greater volumes, or do they receive higher prices for their goods? At the extensive margin, are new trade flows the result of an expanded variety of products or the result of exporting established products to more destinations?

In an attempt to combat problems of insect resistance and the increasing cost of new insecticides, integrated pest management (IPM) systems have been developed for many crops, including cotton. Cotton IPM systems include such components as scouting to determine when control actions should be taken, planting trap crops, and using short season varieties of cotton. Regardless of the component(s) of IPM systems for cotton, when a decision is made that a direct control action is warranted, the control action most often used is the application of insecticides. Thus, although IPM strategies may reduce the frequency of insecticide applications and consequently reduce the possible problem of insecticide resistance, the use of conventional, broad-spectrum insecticides continues to be the primary control tool when insect outbreaks occur.

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This paper is published under the responsibility of the Secretary-General of the OECD. The opinions expressed and the arguments employed herein do not necessarily reflect the official views of OECD countries. The publication of this document has been authorised by Ken Ash, Director of the Trade and Agriculture Directorate. This paper and any map included herein are without prejudice to the status of or sovereignty over any territory, to the delimitation of international frontiers and boundaries and to the name of any territory, city or area.

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this work was undertaken while visiting the OECD Directorate for Food, Agriculture and Fisheries. The opinions expressed in this paper are the authors' own and do not necessarily reflect those of the OECD or its member countries. Dairy remains among the most protected agricultural sectors within OECD countries. Trade implications of this protection are import barriers and policies to induce greater exports, all of which distort markets. The Uruguay Round Agreement on Agriculture (URAA) set limits on subsidized exports and tariff rates for dairy products in order to liberalize trade. Yet few of the nations engaged in dairy market support have quit their efforts since the agreement. Continued implementation of the URAA with its accompanying limits, or possibly expanded liberalization after future trade talks, may result in greater stress on domestic price support mechanisms. We investigate implications of the URAA limitations on world dairy markets and some alternative methods of dairy product trade intervention by examining cases of existing and potential trade distortion. La filière du lait demeure le secteur agricole le plus protégé au sein des pays de l'OCDE. Sur le plan des échanges internationaux, cette protection se traduit par des barrières à l'importation et par des politiques d'exportation agressives, autant de causes de distorsion du commerce mondial. Dans l'esprit de libéraliser les échanges commerciaux, l'Accord sur l'agriculture de l'Uruguay Round (AAUR) a fixé des limites aux exportations subventionnées et aux taux tarifaires imposés à l'importation des produits laitiers. Pourtant, quelques-unes seulement des nations appliquant des mesures de soutien du marché laitier ont jusqu'ici relâché leurs efforts. La poursuite de la mise en application de l'AAUR et des limites qu'il impose, ou une libéralisation éventuelle plus grande survenant après les prochaines discussions commerciales, peut créer une pression accrue sur les mécanismes de soutien des marchés intérieurs. Nous analysons la portée des restrictions de l'AAUR sur les marchés laitiers mondiaux ainsi que quelques méthodes d'intervention sur le marché des produits laitiers, par l'examen de certains cas de distorsion actuels, et éventuels du commerce extérieur.

A net trade model that includes environmental variables is used to analyze economic and environmental implications of various EC policies. There are environmental benefits from CAP reform, but a fertilizer tax results in greater nitrate and phosphate abatement. The input tax also results in smaller drops in EC farm income compared to CAP reform.