Supply chain management in the Ontario chicken and pork industries

Optimising agricultural supply chains presents significant challenges related to the characteristics of the products and production, the commodity focus of agricultural products and the nature of the relationship between supply chain participants. Supply chain management also provides significant opportunities in terms of lower costs and new market opportunities. The supply chain response for a given agricultural product is affected by the business and regulatory environment in which it operates.; This thesis explored the supply chains in the Ontario chicken and pork industries. It examined the influence of regulatory environment on industry structure and supply chain adoption. The status of supply chain management was assessed through a survey of industry members, with particular emphasis on the processing and further processing levels of the supply chains. Individual results are reported and companies are assessed on two basic dimensions of supply chain management, operating efficiency and strategic effectiveness. The results indicated that adoption of supply chain principles is impacted by regulatory environment and has room for improvement in both industries.