Beef producers from across the north and north-east have called on Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) to do more to ensure all farms are Scotch quality-assured and that consumers fully understand the significance of the mark.
Representatives from across the beef supply chain store calf producer, finisher, abattoir and retailer said finished cattle were consistently failing to qualify for the Scotch Beef mark as a result of farms in the chain not being quality-assured.
The plea came during an SAC Consulting event on beef cattle finishing at Easter Auquharney, Hatton, Peterhead, courtesy of Dr GM and AM Mason and farm manager James Law.
Frank Ross, who manages meat processor ABP’s plant in Perth, said between 50 and 60 cattle, which did not qualify for Scotch Beef status as a result of not being farm-assured, were coming through the door of the plant every week.
This failure for cattle to qualify as farm-assured could result in meat processors being unable to supply retail customers with the quantities of Scotch Beef they required for in-store promotions, warned Mr Ross.
“If we cannot deliver the volume on Scotch, the retailers say they will have to have a British promotion rather than a Scotch promotion; it’s a lost opportunity for the Scotch Beef brand,” said Mr Ross.
He urged QMS to find these breaks in the chain where cattle were spending time on non-assured farms and try to get more producers on board with the scheme.
Lanarkshire farmer Jim Brown, who finishes just over 2,000 cattle every year, said: “The chain is broken for a lot of cattle. QMS needs to get its act into gear to get every farm into this system.”
NFU Scotland president Nigel Miller said it was a particular challenge for industry to get some of the smaller producers in the west on to the farm assurance scheme.
Store calf producer Robert Marshall of Kincraigie Farms, Lumphanan, said more needed to be done to explain to consumers what the Scotch Beef mark meant.
He said: “The supermarkets have Fairtrade bananas and coffee but what about Scotch Beef?
“I don’t think they know what they are selling. It’s up to them to educate their customers as they come in that we (beef producers) are ethical and sustainable.”
Morrisons agriculture manager Andrew Loftus said there were too many separate farm assurance schemes run by retailers which added to the confusion.
QMS chief executive Uel Morton last night said the value to Scottish livestock producers of having strong brands and robust quality assurance schemes was without question.
He said maintaining the integrity of the Scotch Beef and Scotch Lamb labels was crucial to ensuring the long-term profitability of the Scottish red meat industry.
“The Scottish red meat industry is committed to delivering a top quality product but one of the biggest challenges the wider food industry faces is food fraud,” added Mr Morton.
“As an industry we were in a strong position when the horsemeat scandal broke as we had full traceability and quality assurance standards in place to guarantee the integrity of our labels. This meant that consumers could trust our brands.”
Mr Morton said feedback from processors indicated the audits of the way they operate undertaken by retailers had become even more rigorous in the wake of the horsemeat scandal.