Improving agri-food chain relationships in europe: The role of public policy

This chapter deals with the role that government policies, and especially EU policies, canplay in improving agri-food chain relationships.The chapter starts with a review of the main factors that influence agri-food chainrelationships, based on the previous chapters of this book, as well as other empirical work.The most important policies, with special emphasis on the Common Agricultural Policy,are analysed in relation to agri-food chain requirements. Other policies relating to food,small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), consumers and related topics involving agrifoodchains are examined to determine how they can affect relationships along the chain.The policies analysed can directly or indirectly affect agri-food chains and can havemacroeconomic or microeconomic objectives. The main issues are separated, for anyparticular policy, between those directed towards agri-food chain stakeholders, with eitherhorizontal or vertical implications for their relationships, and those that concerncompetitiveness in agri-food chains. Private and public implications are compared toAnalysing Inter-organizational Relationships in Agri-food Chains 21understand the adequacy of current policies. Finally, propositions are offered for a moreintegrated policy approach to agri-food chain relationships.