Global trade competition patterns in categorised meat products: A weighted network analysis

Meat trade plays a crucial role in global food systems and is a key area of competition among nations. This study analyses the competitive network of global categorised meat trade using weighted network analysis, focusing on four major meat types. The results indicate that meat trade competition is dominated by large consuming nations such as China, Japan, and Germany due to their high demand. Beef, pork, and poultry markets exhibit relatively concentrated competition among a small number of high-strength countries, whereas the sheep market is characterised by a more balanced competitive structure and greater variability in the strength-degree relationship. Weighted clustering coefficients decline as degree increases, particularly in the sheep market, indicating looser competitive groupings. The topological average nearest neighbour degree exhibits significant disassortativity across all four meat categories, whereas the weighted measure remains relatively stable, indicating the persistence of weighted assortative characteristics. Overall, the findings reveal pronounced structural heterogeneity in global meat import competition in 2022 and provide useful implications for product-specific trade strategies and risk management.