Transformations in the meat processing industry related to Iberian pig in the Sierra de Huelva (2002-2020)
Main Article Content
Abstract
The Sierra de Huelva is a depopulated and an ageing region where traditional activities particularly Iberian Pig breeding in the dehesa and the associated industries dominate. Accordingly, these processes have contributed to the formation and the embedness of the so-called Local Production Systems in these territories. Since the end of the 20th century, both internal and external dynamics have contributed to the significant changes in the industry which have accordingly affected productivity, organisation of the processes, distribution and marketing activities as well as product quality itself. Based on the information available in official and private databases from 2002 until 2020, the in-depth comparative analysis was carried out to identify these transformations in the industry as well as to outline their causes and the consequences. As the main results suggest, once the product specialisation is established in terms of product standartisation and quality, the processes of (1) the territorial and business concentration and (2) the polarisation of the sector between large foreign companies and small traditional local enterprises have become evident.