Agriculture in the United Kingdom fund the purchase as a mortgage. The Council could not refuse without the Minister of Agriculture's permission. In 1919 the Board of Agriculture and the Ministry of Food were merged to form the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, which later became the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF). MAFF was in turn the predecessor of DEFRA. Before the Second World War started, Britain imported 55 million tons of food a year. By the end of 1939, this had dropped to 12 million, and food rationing was introduced at the start of 1940. It did not completely end until July
Energy rationing used when electricity markets cannot keep up to demand, particularly peak demand. Limited electrical supply from power stations at times of drought or after infrastructure is damaged, can lead authorities to implement rationing. Brazil was forced to implement energy rationing due to drought in 2001. Reducing demand in this way aims to avoid forced power outages which are more disruptive than rationing. Tradable Energy Quotas is an energy rationing system designed to enable nations to reduce their emissions of greenhouse gases along with their use of oil, gas and coal, and to ensure fair access to energy for all. One