How to turn over an egg: Rethinking the temporality of global value chains amidst emerging infectious diseases

The temporality of global value chains is an important area of concern for economic geographers. This paper argues for the analytical value of closely examining the category of ‘turnover time’ as articulated in Marx’s work and subsequent historical-geographical materialism. We argue that turnover times of capitals in competition – hence struggles over time – can be conceptualised as a driving force behind what the GVC literature refers to as ‘chain governance’. This also helps explain the specific challenges faced by capitals depending on their position within the supply chain. To develop this argument, we draw on empirical material from the poultry supply chain in Norway and Denmark, particularly in the context of rising threats from highly pathogenic avian influenza. We argue that focusing on turnover time provides a novel angle not only on the supply chain’s intricacies but on our understanding of how industry actors respond to avian flu as an imminent challenge. In unravelling the egg production supply chain, turnover times emerge as distinct and multiple, depending on the role and materiality of the chicks, layer hens and eggs which we conceptualise respectively as fluid, fixed and commodity capital. Consequently, these variations in turnover times directly affect actors’ agency to manage avian flu outbreaks and strategise in the context of ever-rising pathogenic threats. We provide a comprehensive analysis of the temporality in the supply chain under the pressures of emerging infectious diseases and contribute to the broader literature on Marxist economic geography and critical GVC analysis.