Agric. Econ. - Czech, 2025, 71(3):130-141 | DOI: 10.17221/353/2024-AGRICECON

Determinants of pollutant emissions in the Spanish agri-food sector: The role of international tradeOriginal Paper

Yolanda Sorroche-del-Rey ORCID...1, Laura Piedra-Muñoz ORCID...1, Emilio Galdeano-Gómez ORCID...1, Eva M. García-Granero ORCID...1
1 Department of Economics and Business, University of Almería (Agrifood Campus of International Excellence, ceiA3; Mediterranean Research Centre on Economics and Sustainable Development, CIMEDES), Almería, Spain

This study aims to analyse the key company-level variables influencing pollutant emissions in the Spanish agri-food sector and investigate the bidirectional relationship between international trade and environmental performance. Using panel data from 2007–2020, we employ discrete choice models to test causal relationships between business variables and environmental impact. Empirical findings show a negative correlation between internationalisation and polluting emissions from agri-food companies. Additionally, other factors, such as company age and size, also influence this index. These results provide valuable insights for economic decision-makers in the agri-food market, highlighting the implications of international trade and business variables on pollution levels.

Keywords: agriculture; binary and ordered logit models; environmental emissions; internationalisation; microeconomic level;

Received: September 23, 2024; Revised: January 9, 2025; Accepted: January 21, 2025; Prepublished online: March 24, 2025; Published: March 27, 2025  Show citation

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Sorroche-del-Rey Y, Piedra-Muñoz L, Galdeano-Gómez E, García-Granero EM. Determinants of pollutant emissions in the Spanish agri-food sector: The role of international trade. Agric. Econ. - Czech. 2025;71(3):130-141. doi: 10.17221/353/2024-AGRICECON.
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