Importance of Scottish red meat industry highlighted

The importance of red meat production to both the national economy of Scotland and the country’s rural areas has been highlighted in a new independent report commissioned by Quality Meat Scotland (QMS).

The report, entitled ‘An Assessment of the Economic Contribution of Scotland’s Red Meat Supply Chain’, reveals that the red meat supply chain in Scotland contributes around £2.4 billion to total output. This equates to a £733 million contribution to Scotland’s Gross Domestic Product and provides employment totalling 33,000 jobs.

The report also lays out the Scottish red meat industry’s considerable importance in terms of employment in rural areas through jobs created by farming and meat processing.

The publication, compiled by Andrew Moxey of Pareto Consulting, accounts for production as far along the red meat chain as abattoirs and cutting plants. The figures would be significantly higher if the economic impact further downstream, including wholesalers and multiple and independent retailers plus food outlets, were also included.

“As well as clearly laying out the way in which red meat production underpins Scotland’s agricultural output, the report also highlights the role it plays in social sustainability and in the maintenance of Scotland’s landscape,” says Iain Macdonald, senior economics analyst at QMS.

“The main routes identified for achieving this include the retention of more animals in Scotland and the wider adoption of best practice at farm level. The other key opportunities identified for driving growth in our industry are greater collaboration and information sharing across the supply chain,” he concludes.