Abstract

LLUCH, Andrea. The Meat-Packing Industry in Argentina: Firms, Strategies and the Dynamics of Industrial Change (1882-1930). Am. Lat. Hist. Econ [online]. 2019, vol.26, n.2, e985.  Epub May 01, 2019. ISSN 2007-3496.  https://doi.org/10.18232/alhe.985.

Argentina dominated the world’s beef market since the early 20th century, and its meatpacking plants accounted for one of the country’s major industries. This article intends to revisit a classical topic in Argentine economic historiography from a new standpoint, focusing on key business players and tackling this analysis as part of a worldwide meatpacking industry change. This research study posits a different periodization and illustrates the significant transformations (involving business actors, strategies and production profiles) undergone by the beef industry from the late 19th century to the late 1920s. It also describes how the export beef industry stood out because of its early, strong concentration and the competition among large companies, which oscillated between long cooperation periods and short clashes as a result of export quotas.

Keywords : meat-packing plants; beef industry; industrial change.