The law of unintended consequences

Many years ago in my past life as a pharmaceutical editor, an industry leader told me that legislation of any sort can lead to different results, which were not foreseen and were not thought of, no matter how well-meaning the law maker was. “Beware the law of unintended consequences!” he said, raising his voice and pointing his finger rather dramatically. Funnily enough, he still comes to mind, particularly as we look to the end of the milk quota system here in Europe.

Market analysts Canadean have already sounded a note of caution, saying that national milk processors may set up restrictions from neighbouring countries, in order to protect their domestic markets. Indeed, far from removing politics from the equation in the EU dispensing with the quota system, politicians may be ever more involved on a more local level, in a bid to salvage and tend their local industries.

I do know we can’t put the genie back in the bottle on quotas, but I do know that the consequences may not be anything we have foreseen. Overall, I suspect the market will eventually shake out, but as my pharmacy bod says, we must be wary of the unintended consequences and try to plan for them.