Action 8
"Scottish food has earned a reputation for quality. This is an asset which all parts of the food chain must protect by achieving high standards of quality and integrity in all their markets."
Progress
The Executive supports Scottish producers in improving the quality and integrity of the food they produce through its agri-food grant schemes.
The Executive also funded the Meat Eating Quality Project, an initiative aimed at establishing a set of protocols across the supply chain which are expected to lead consistently to enhanced eating quality of beef, pork and lamb. The results of the pig study were announced in July 2004 and the final beef and sheep results in December 2004. The published results of this research provide a template for production methods which will sustain and improve the high quality of Scottish red meat in years to come.
Other organisations also recognise the scope for improvement in this area and are working towards that end. For example, Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) is working with businesses in the red meat sector to ensure that Scotland's reputation for quality Scotch beef is maintained and enhanced. Farm Stock (Scotland) Ltd is another such organisation. Scotland's only federal livestock marketing co-operative, this venture combines the strengths and individuality of three of Scotland's leading lamb and beef producer groups with sufficient scale for effective marketing. With the help of the Scottish Agricultural Organisation Society (SAOS), Farm Stock is working on a project to ensure uniformity of quality from the producer up and is holding member workshops looking at quality issues. The group is also looking at how they might increase opportunities to co-operate direct with the supermarkets.
Links
- Meat Eating quality Project - Research report:-
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Agriculture/Agricultural-Policy/LivestockAndLivestockProd/MeatEatingQuality/Introduction
http://www.qmscotland.co.uk/
http://www.saos.co.uk/co-operation/FarmStock.htm
http://www.saos.co.uk/
Action 8 is regarded as complete insofar as the various initiatives outlined above have been put in place. However, work in relation to the overall objective continues.
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