The Common Market’s agricultural chief, Sicco Mansholt, one of the most controversial men on the Continent, called for an immediate attack on Europe’s agricultural surpluses.

Farmers cross pitchforks with their governments almost everywhere, but the dueling is particularly spirited in Europe’s Common Market. In the six member nations, farmers constitute a politically powerful 16% of the population and have extracted uniformly lavish price supports. This has encouraged overproduction and bulging surpluses of eggs, pork, wheat,…