Action 7: Consumer Research

HMICS

Farming
- Agricultural Policy
  - The Agriculture Strategy

Action 7

Action 7

"All sectors of the industry must undertake regular consumer research into customers' requirements. Individual businesses should seek regular feedback on how well they are meeting their customers' requirements so that they can respond to these views."

Progress

A great deal of consumer research is carried out or commissioned by sectoral bodies such as Quality Meat Scotland (QMS), Meat and Livestock Commission, British Potato Council, Milk Development Council for their respective interests.

For example, QMS has an ongoing commitment to finding out what consumers think about red meat and how they shop in order to meet their needs. QMS regularly commissions research and passes on the resulting information and analyses to the businesses making up the red meat sector so that they are aware of customers' views and, therefore, able to respond.

The key issue is not the availability and access of consumer research but how far the results gets back down the chain to the producer. With this in mind, the Executive commissioned the Scottish Agricultural Organisation Society (SAOS) to audit the various sources of consumer research in Scotland and how it is disseminated. The study was completed in March 2002 and identified the main commercial sources of consumer research, scope and costs of reports currently available and the availability of this market and consumer information to farmers. The Executive has made this report widely available. Research needs in this area will be kept under review.

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