Environmental Governance and Implementation Gaps in Poultry Value Chains: Evidence from Brazil

Resumo

This study analyzes environmental management practices in the poultry production chain, focusing on sustainability implementation within a vertically integrated agribusiness system in Goiás, Brazil. A qualitative case study approach was adopted based on primary and secondary data collected from nine agro-industrial units and 230 integrated farms, encompassing 816 broiler houses distributed across 43 municipalities. Data collection involved structured questionnaires, document analysis, and environmental indicators related to water and energy use, waste generation, emissions, and environmental management practices. The results reveal the absence of comprehensive emissions inventories, particularly in transport and boiler operations, limiting environmental monitoring and control capacity. Although initiatives such as environmental education, recycling programs, and reforestation efforts are in place, significant inconsistencies remain in the implementation of sustainability practices across decentralized production units. Environmental management systems are unevenly adopted among integrated farms, reflecting limitations in monitoring routines, traceability systems, and managerial coordination mechanisms. The findings indicate that sustainability outcomes in poultry production systems are influenced more by organizational and monitoring limitations than by technological constraints, revealing asymmetries between corporate environmental strategies and operational practices at the farm level. The study contributes to the literature by reinforcing the relevance of Environmental Management Accounting (EMA) and integrated management systems in supporting sustainability transitions in agri-food chains. Overall, the research highlights the importance of strengthening monitoring structures, environmental disclosure, and operational integration to improve sustainability performance in poultry production systems.