Quality Meat Scotland

The Rotary Club of St Andrews heard a presentation from Quality Meat Scotland. Kathryn Kerr, Head   of Brands Integrity, and Sarah Miller, Director of External Affairs, informed us that QMS is a non-departmental public body, which works with the red meat supply chain from farm right through to fork, and their strategy is to develop, support, promote and protect a profitable and sustainable Scottish red meat industry. This is done in a variety of ways, including through advertising on TV and working with our farmers to see how they can innovate to ensure that the red meat products that end up on our plates are produced in a way that is good for the environment, is good for the Scottish economy and is good for our rural communities. Scotland has a near perfect climate for meat production and the physical attributes to support a thriving meat industry. Generations of experienced farmers are working to world-leading standards. QMS helps the Scottish red meat sector to maximise efficiency and productivity. The red meat industry contributes over £2.1 billion to Scotland’s economy. 50,000 are employed in the industry and 10,000 farm businesses are quality assured. The reason that Scottish lamb and beef is so good is because it is part of a natural cycle where animals are respectfully reared and quality is assured. Scotland is home to many native breeds and thirty years of Quality Assurance has provided continual improvement through on-farm research and development and sharing of best practice. 10% of red meat produced is exported to discerning customers around the world. QMS is very keen to educate the next generation about the benefits of red meat and engages widely with schoolchildren.

Colin Brown gave the vote of thanks thanking the two ladies for their most interesting talk, highlighting the way that QMS has built brand integrity which has resulted in impeccable consumer credentials.