Repeal of the Corn Laws

The Importation Act 1846 reduced duties on imported wheat, oats and barley on a sliding scale until February 1, 1849, after which only a nominal duty of one shilling per quarter remained, itself abolished in 1869. The Corn Laws, dating from 1815, had restricted grain imports until domestic prices reached set levels. The repeal imposes no current obligations; it is a historical measure.

The repeal is the classic case of tariff reduction lowering food prices and expanding import trade, a reference point in today's tariff debates. Cheaper imported grain fed Britain's growing industrial cities and helped build the shipping, port and warehousing networks of Liverpool and London. For logistics professionals, it shows how tariff policy redirects trade flows: when duties fall, import volume and port activity rise, just as the 2025 US de minimis changes quickly shifted volume from parcels to bulk freight.

• David Ricardo1772–1823 · Economist, theory of comparative advantage

• The Wealth of Nations1776 · Adam Smith argues for division of labor and free trade
• Industrial Revolutionc. 1760–1840 · Machines and factories replace hand production

• Cobden-Chevalier Treaty1860 · 1860 Anglo-French treaty that cut tariffs and spread MFN
• Navigation Acts1651–1849 · English laws reserving colonial trade for English ships
• Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act (Tariff Act of 1930)1930 · 1930 tariff law still at the core of US customs law

1. Britannica: Corn Law britannica.com
2. Hansard: Total and Immediate Repeal of the Corn Laws (2 March 1846) api.parliament.uk