Spanish Agricultural Policy: From Disentailment to the EU

Evolution of Spanish Agricultural Policy

Agricultural Policy: There are state actions that have tried to solve the problems in the sector. We must differentiate between two stages in agricultural policy:

Stage 1: From the 19th Century to 1986

This period spans from the nineteenth century to 1986, the date of entry of Spain into the EEC (now called the EU).

Notably, the disentailment policy throughout the 19th century sought to reform property ownership by trying to eliminate uncultivated land, which was very numerous in our country. It is basically agreed that this bourgeoisie reform served to "change hands" regarding the land and damage the peasants, who lost the opportunity granted to them by communal lands. Of course, this allowed the state to finance its huge deficit.

The Second Republic was another attempt at land reform. With the outbreak of the Civil War, this process came to a standstill.

Franco drove three major issues: On the one hand, he promoted the "return to the field." The objective pursued was to supply commodity markets that were short of goods in the 1940s. On the other hand, irrigation was encouraged, carrying out the construction of numerous dams and pipelines. And finally, perhaps most importantly, was the practice of the so-called allotment policy, which sought to curb the serious problem of the discontinuity of farms.

Finally, with the advent of democracy, agricultural insurance was generalized, and the state sought to promote the sector through diversification.

Stage 2: From 1986 to the Present

This stage began in 1986 (the date of entry of Spain into the EEC, now called the EU) with the implementation of the CAP (Common Agricultural Policy).

Objectives of the CAP in Spain

The objectives shared by the CAP and Spanish agricultural policy are:

• Avoid Price Fluctuations: This involves the creation of the CMO (Common Market Organisation), where maximum and minimum prices, sizing, and production quotas are marked for various agricultural products.
• Prevent Imports: This stimulates an ambitious tariff policy based on the principle of Community preference.
• Improve Quality of Life: This aims to help families and companies engaged in the primary sector, thus creating major European structural funds such as LEADER and EAGGF.

Consequences of Implementation

The consequences since its implementation have been remarkable. It has positively impacted the expansion of markets for Spanish products, especially fruit and vegetables, where regions like Andalusia, Murcia, and Valencia have been the big beneficiaries. It has also increased exponentially the productivity and competitiveness of our companies. Negatively, under the CMO, traditional products have been adversely affected (cereals, olives, grapes, etc.).