Free trade policies
Free Trade can be defined as trading policies that do not put restrictions on business persons who wish to import or export goods. In other words, Free Trade is the idea of Free Markets as applied to international trade. In nations of the world, political parties that hold liberal economic ideas support free trade, while nationalist parties support protectionism ideas. Free Trade policies promote ideas of trading without tax payment, unfettered access to market and information, and limited oligopoly and monopoly from governments. Although Free trade can propel and improve relationships among nations, it can lead to the emergence of big businesses and industries that monopolize the market and make it impossible for small businesses and industries. This paper examines the application of Free Trade Policies and the Utilitarianism theory of Ethics as they apply in Agriculture.
The doyens of the Utilitarianism Theory of Ethics were David Hume and Jeremy Bentham. The theory promotes activities that maximize the wellbeing and happiness of people. The utilitarianism theory of Ethics in Agriculture encompasses values and policies that cover production, processing, and distribution of food and other agricultural products. Ethical values ensure food quality, prices, human health, and enhance wellbeing. Free Trade is an unethical practice in the Agricultural sector.
Dominant agricultural industries and large scale farmers threaten and lead to the eventual collapse of small agricultural sectors. Without the small agricultural competitions, the big agricultural industries spike up their products and produce prizes to boost their profits since the consumers of the goods do not have alternative options. Consumers ought to be left to make choices of products they wish to consume. The removal of competitions from small and medium farmers perpetuates a culture of greed and monopoly from large scale farmers that hurts both the consumers and the market. According to Jeremy Bentham, such behaviors are harmful, do not promote the highest good for the most considerable number of people, and does not make the world a better place.
It is almost hard for Major grain traders and large scale farmers to promote the common good for all people since the Free Trade policies give them the monopoly to dominate production, processing, and supply of produce and products. They aim to maximize profits at the expense of small-scale farmers who end up losing their rights to land, seed, water, labor, and eventually demoted to slave labor.
Free trade policies are ruining small scale farmers and grain traders. The agriculture sector should be protected from free trade. People should be guaranteed their rights to food and health by defining boundaries operational frameworks of small and large farmers. Each nation should be left to decide and adopt its food, agricultural, and trade policies.