Transnationalization and demutualization of agricultural cooperatives under EU single market, and their governance structure

2019 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 17K07965
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Agricultural science in management and economy
• Research Institution: Hiroshima University
• Principal Investigator: TANAKA Hideki 広島大学, 統合生命科学研究科(生), 教授 (90227166)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 小林 元 広島大学, 統合生命科学研究科(生), 助教 (40762779)
• Project Period (FY): 2017-04-01 – 2020-03-31
• Keywords: 多国籍農協 / 農協の「会社化」 / 協同組合ガバナンス

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Nordic agricultural co-operatives has changed due to cross-border competition under the EU market. In Sweden, an umbrella structure of strong federations was established with characterized parts of a state system. With EU accession, the structure and character are changing. Federations of cooperatives were dissolved, and a transnational dairy cooperative, that has members in seven countries, and an international cooperative in the cereal sector has emerged. In the meats sector, four regional co-operatives merged into one national co-operative, however, acquired by a Finnish co-operative, now remains as a meats farmers organization, which held some shares of a joint-stock company with the Finnish co-operative. Governance of the transnational cooperatives face many challenges such as differences of languages, and various country’s legal systems.
Part of the result was published in the Journal of Japanese Cooperative Society, Vol. 39, 2, and currently being prepared for book publication.

Free Research Field

協同組合学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

グローバル市場下において，農協の姿は大きく変化し，伝統的協同組合形態の変容が進んでいる。とりわけ域内市場を統合したEUでは，農協の多国籍化と「会社化」が世界に先駆けて進んでいる。こうした多国籍化・「会社化」を遂げた農協の現段階的形態について，その特徴や問題構造について本研究では明らかにした。
さらに，EUにおいても国ごとに農業構造は異なっており，本研究は特に農業条件不利国であるスウェーデンの視点から農協の再編とガバナンス構造を検討した。
本研究により，グローバル市場下の最先端で進む農協の現段階的変容の姿が総体として明らかになり，今後の日本の農協の展開方向性の検討にも資することができる。