The Transformation of the Spanish Livestock System in the Second and Third Food Regimes

The present paper contains an analysis of the special characteristics of livestock systems in Spain, in the context of the domestic and international food relations that prevailed during the so-called Second and Third Food Regimes. Spanish livestock is an interesting case because patterns of meat production and consumption have changed dramatically since the 1960s, as Spain has become one of Europe's major meat producers. There were also successive periods of transformation in Spain throughout the historical periods analysed herein, from an extensive to an intensive industrial model as well as from a domestically focused to an internationally oriented sector. In particular, the international context has been crucial in the development of Spanish livestock because of Spain's dependence on imported livestock feed and the increasing relevance of exports, especially to other European countries following Spain's accession to the European Union in 1986.