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Abstract
A valid argument for support is that subsidies are remedies for market failures. Agriculture contributes positively
to public goods as food security, landscape preservation and maintenance of population in remote areas. Using a
numerical model we simulate what Norwegian agriculture would look like if the only purpose of supporting
agriculture was to provide such public goods. This is compared to the consequences of the Uruguay round in GATT
and possible future EU membership for Norwegian agriculture. Although the GATT agreement will change
agriculture in the desirable direction, the agreement puts no substantial pressure on the current agricultural policy.
EU membership on the lines laid down by the accession treaty between EU and Norway prior to the referendum in
1994 would have given a stronger impetus towards the optimal solution.