Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food: Registered Files: International Cereals...

MAF 308

1947-1986

This series contains files of the Cereals (later International Cereals) Division, dealing with Britain's involvement with the International Wheat Agreement, 1949-1956, and world cereal supply and demand generally, including some on the Common Agricultural Policy. From 1958, the series also includes papers relating to the Council of Europe's Committee of Experts on Production of Vine Products and Spirits.

Papers on international trading in wheat are in MAF 40

Some files re-registered in the FTE file series:

MAF 347

MAF 333

ICN file series

Public Record(s)

English

• Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Cereals Division, 1971-1989
• Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, International Cereals Division, 1955-1970

296 file(s)

Open

From 1992 Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food

Series is accruing

The International Wheat Agreement came into force on 1st August 1949 and ran for a period of four years until 31st July 1953. The agreement was entered into in order to overcome the serious hardship caused to producers and consumers by burdensome surplus and critical shortage of wheat. The agreement provided for the movement of prices between a fixed maximum and a fixed minimum and the respective guarantees did not become enforceable except at these prices. The agreement was renegotiated in 1953 with certain modifications for a further period of three years. But although the UK Government fully subscribed to the principals of an International Wheat Agreement and participated in the new negotiations in that spirit, the UK was not finally a party to the new agreement.

The Committee of Experts on the Production and Marketing of vine products and spirits was set up in 1958 by the Council of Europe. One of its main purposes was to consider means of preventing specific geographical names of wine which are protected as appellations of origin in their home countries from being considered as generic to other member states. However International Cereal Division had only a marginal interest in a good many of the subjects discussed by the committee.