Until about 1970, Western Europe was regarded as the great food-importing region of the world. Over the next 15 years it also became a major food exporter. This study, originally published in 1985, analyses the expansionary policies of individual nations, as well as those of the Community itself, which have helped produce this momentous reversal of Western Europe's traditional role. The phenomenon in the international food market is reviewed within the context of the economic and political forces responsible for changes in Western European agriculture during the late 20^th Century.