Supply chain management and traceability in pork chains: The Belgian and South African case

Consumer concerns about meat safety have led to an increased demand for information and transparency in food chains, and have acted as the major drivers for the development of traceability systems. This note focuses on the current and future role of supply chain management and traceability in Belgian and South African pork chains. The state of the art related to traceability is briefly reviewed and illustrated with the specific situation and recent developments in Belgium and South Africa. The background and evolution in both countries are similar, though occurring with some time lag. It is found that organisational and operational aspects of traceability are clearly dealt with. However, questions remain with respect to the management of information flows and the pro-active, instead of defensive use of traceability. Key attention points for future success in livestock production chains pertain to market orientation, claimed benefit substantiation and effective management of information flows.