THE POLLUTER PAYS PRINCIPLE AND ITS RELEVANCE TO AGRICULTURAL POLICY IN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES

The Polluter Pays Principle has widespread acceptance as a principle of environmental policy but historically has had little application in the agriculture sector, despite its growing significance as a source of pollution. The origins of the principle and some of the difficulties of applying it in practice are discussed, as is the question of how far agriculture can be considered a special case with regard to the principle. Some current policy developments in European countries are outlined and the use of taxes and charges on fertilizer inputs in EFTA countries is examined briefly. New directions in policy are discernible; the Polluter Pays Principle no longer seems irrelevant to agriculture, particularly in the intensive livestock sector.