ABSTRACT
The previous chapter presented data relating to large ACs in the UK and Spain ranking in the top ten lists, highly embedded in industrial farming models and undergoing processes of consolidation. In this chapter, the views of experts outside ACs are presented, focusing on data and themes that relate to the wider European context. The sources of data presented in this chapter are: (a) interview data; (b) policy documents such as legislation and official publications from public authorities, and reports from industry bodies and civil society organisations; (c) other data from industry and civil society organisations available in the public domain (such as submissions to government consultations, e-newsletters, media articles and relevant organisations’ website content; (d) field notes taken during the process of data collection. The themes identified were: legal dimension, governance, sustainability, cooperative education, the importance of language, path dependency, social movements and future expectations for ACs.
