Catalonian pork value chain’s resilience: ready for environmental challenge?

The hog production model in Catalonia (Spain) has been, until recently, an example of success. Inventories and production have been increasing substantially and the sector has proven to have great export potential. Also, the Catalonian hog model has allowed the survival of crops and fruits’ small farms, through diversification with pork. Part of this success is based on the organizational system of the value chain or, as we call, “governance instruments” of the value chain. These “governance instruments” are, on one hand, contract relationships between agribusiness firms (specially, in feed sector) and farms and, on the other, a Marketing Board to fix pig prices (Mercolleida). However, recently, there have been some tensions in hog production model in Catalonia. The tensions are related with the tradeoff between requirements of international competitiveness and the implementation of new regulations in the sector. Specifically, new environmental regulation entails a great challenge to the resilience of the pork value chain in Catalonia.