Today's Changing Meat Industry and Tomorrow's Beef Sector Dale
J. Menkhaus and Terry F. Glover KEYWORDS: structural change,
beef, pork, chicken, demand and meat industry The meat industry
has changed dramatically in recent years. Most notable is the
changing structures of the broiler, pork and beef sectors. The
purpose of this article is to examine the changes which have
occurred in each of these sectors and discuss the implications
for the future of the beef industry. Structural change has been
the principle characteristic of the meat industry in recent
years. Structural change can be defined as changes in the number
and/or size of firms in an industry. Structural change can also
relate to the amount of product differentiation or changes in
the ease of entry into or exit from an industry. Changes in
consumer demand brought about by convenience and perceived
health concerns have likely stimulated the recent structural
transformations within the meat industry. Firms have become
larger and/or fewer in number in