Milk quotas and the changing pattern of dairying in France
Abstract Quotas were introduced in 1984 as a means of controlling output and expenditure in the EEC dairy sector. Far from fossilising production patterns as was originally feared, the implementation of quotas in France was taken as an opportunity for restructuring the industry, particularly through the use of an outgoers payment. The extent and spatial pattern of this restructuring has, however, been severely constrained by social objectives concerned with maintaining production in certain fragile rural areas. In line with more general attempts to decrease support for agriculture within the EEC, the French government is now proposing that future restructuring must be the financial responsibility of the dairy profession and regional authorities.
Unionism, peasant protest and the reform of French agriculture
Abstract Enormous tensions have been created in French rural society by the extent and rapidity of the economic and social changes which have taken place in agriculture since the Second World War; CAP reforms and the GATT agreement have further deepened the sense of crisis within the sector. The French Government has sought to implement change and control these tensions through the “corporatisation” of the dominant farm union and other agricultural interest groups. Rejection of this process by some groups of farmers and widening disparities within agriculture have resulted in shifting patterns of union allegiance and the growth of a variety of forms of protest which, combined with general public support for the preservation of rural areas and antipathy towards American economic and cultural dominance have ensured continued government concessions to the agricultural sector.
Recalculation of Mass Defects
THE well-known mass defect curve of the old nuclear scheme calculated with regard to α-particles and protons presented a difficulty with its minimum of binding energy for tin and an increasing portion between tin and lead. On the other hand, the mass defect values against protons give a rather smoothly decreasing curve.1 As has already been pointed out,2 the number of α-particles must be considerably reduced from the point of view of the new scheme, which does not admit any electrons in nuclei, but only neutrons and protons (presumably joined as α-particles). The curve of mass defect against protons and neutrons (perhaps with a single ‘central’ α-particle) is very similar to the old curve against protons, but decreases less rapidly. Clearly the new mass defect values relatively to α-particles, neutrons and protons must lie somewhere between the old values computed relative to protons and α-particles respectively (because the number of α-particles is decreased). We may emphasise that this new mass defect curve shows no increasing portion between tin and lead. For illustration we give two typical values: Old: 50Sn124 = 31α + 12&#38;epsiv;; mass defect = 0.158 (in mass units); 82Pb208 = 52α + 22&#38;epsiv;; mass defect = 0.035. New: 50Sn124= 25α + 24ω (ω = neutron); mass defect = 0.304; 82Pb208 = 41α + 44ω; mass defect = 0.366.