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Opportunist dealing in the UK pig meat supply chain: Trader mentalities and alternatives

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  • Bowman, Andrew
  • Froud, Julie
  • Johal, Sukhdev
  • Leaver, Adam
  • Williams, Karel

Abstract

The scandal surrounding the presence of horsemeat in UK supermarket meat products has focused public attention on the problems of complex, fragmented food supply chains. Through a study of the UK's pig meat supply chain, this paper proposes a new framing of the problem in terms of opportunistic dealing adopted by the supermarkets in vertically disintegrated supply chains, where all actors attempt to pass the risks and costs onto somebody else. This outcome is the result of cultural practices and competences in buyer-led supermarket organizations where strong supermarket chains have the power to capture processor and producer margins. One consequence is that mass-market meat production and processing is close to unviable, as evidenced here by the analysis of the VION Food Group. However, there are mainstream alternatives to the retail-led dysfunctional supply chain. This paper presents an alternative integrated supply chain model using the case of Morrisons, the UK's fourth largest supermarket chain. If fragmented supply chains are not inevitable, the important issue explored in the conclusion is how the inadequacies of government policy, which understands the problem of the sector but is stuck with a competition-based mindset, obstruct the creation of a more sustainable supply chain.

Suggested Citation

  • Bowman, Andrew & Froud, Julie & Johal, Sukhdev & Leaver, Adam & Williams, Karel, 2013. "Opportunist dealing in the UK pig meat supply chain: Trader mentalities and alternatives," Accounting forum, Elsevier, vol. 37(4), pages 300-314.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:accfor:v:37:y:2013:i:4:p:300-314
    DOI: 10.1016/j.accfor.2013.07.001
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. C Doel, 1999. "Towards a Supply-Chain Community? Insights from Governance Processes in the Food Industry," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 31(1), pages 69-85, January.
    2. Hanf, Jon Henrich, 2008. "Food retailers as drivers of supply chain integration: A review," Australasian Agribusiness Review, University of Melbourne, Department of Agriculture and Food Systems, vol. 16.
    3. Free, Clinton, 2008. "Walking the talk? Supply chain accounting and trust among UK supermarkets and suppliers," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 33(6), pages 629-662, August.
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    Cited by:

    1. Sheraz Alam Malik & Martin K. Hingley, 2021. "Consumer demand information as a re-balancing tool for power asymmetry between food retailers and suppliers," Economia agro-alimentare, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 23(2), pages 1-20.
    2. Malik, Sheraz Alam & Hingley, Martin K., 2021. "Consumer demand information as a re-balancing tool for power asymmetry between food retailers and suppliers," Economia agro-alimentare / Food Economy, Italian Society of Agri-food Economics/Società Italiana di Economia Agro-Alimentare (SIEA), vol. 23(2), July.
    3. Jarkko Niemi & Richard Bennett & Beth Clark & Lynn Frewer & Philip Jones & Thomas Rimmler & Richard Tranter, 2020. "A value chain analysis of interventions to control production diseases in the intensive pig production sector," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(4), pages 1-25, April.
    4. Molly Scott Cato, 2014. "From resilient regions to bioregions: An exploration of green post-Keynesianism," Working Papers PKWP1407, Post Keynesian Economics Society (PKES).
    5. Jack, Lisa & Florez-Lopez, Raquel & Ramon-Jeronimo, Juan Manuel, 2018. "Accounting, performance measurement and fairness in UK fresh produce supply networks," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 64(C), pages 17-30.
    6. Lehman, Glen & Haslam, Colin, 2013. "Accounting for the Apple Inc business model: Corporate value capture and dysfunctional economic and social consequences," Accounting forum, Elsevier, vol. 37(4), pages 245-248.
    7. Henrik Barth & Per-Ola Ulvenblad & Pia Ulvenblad, 2017. "Towards a Conceptual Framework of Sustainable Business Model Innovation in the Agri-Food Sector: A Systematic Literature Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(9), pages 1-15, September.
    8. Else, Tim & Choudhary, Sonal & Genovese, Andrea, 2022. "Uncovering sustainability storylines from dairy supply chain discourse," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 142(C), pages 858-874.

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