Lence, Sergio H.; Luvaga, Ebby

Agriculture and Agri-Food Production in Perspective: Profile of the Sector in Catalonia, Lleida, Spain, (2006)

The present study provides a comparative analysis of the pork in Spain and the U.S. In both countries, primary pork production has become much more "industrialized," and environmental regulations, population density, and other factors induced the relocation of production facilities. Competitive forces and changing consumption habits have stimulated the vertical integration in the two countries as well. Many of Spain's recent trends in consumption mimic the trends experienced earlier in the U.S. Among the most noticeable differences between the Spanish and U.S. pork sectors is Spaniards' strong preference for pigmeat relative to other meats, and for cured pork products. The processing industry in Spain is much less concentrated than in the U.S. Also, in Spain there are thriving wholesale markets and a large proportion of retail sales are made through butcheries. On the other hand, in the U.S. there are institutional derivatives markets which have no counterpart in Spain.