Scotland the envy of world in red meat sustainability

What Scotland has to offer the world in terms of the sustainability of its red meat production could not be more different from what is produced by the majority of overseas competitors, it has been claimed.

Asserting that Scotland’s beef, lamb and pork sectors had “a huge amount to be proud of in terms of its sustainabilitymessages,”head of the meat promotion body, Quality Meat Scotland (QMS), Jim Mclaren yesterday moved to differentiate the country’s production methods from the feed-lot systems and intensive rearing units and systems widely used elsewhere in the world.

In a new video released yesterday to celebrate World Environment Day, the organisation laid out the Scottish livestock industry’s positive sustainability credentials.

Mclaren said that the country’s red meat producers had an enviable reputation:

He said: “The reality is around 80 per cent of Scotland’s agricultural land is grass and rough grazing – unsuitable for growing cereals, vegetables or fruit

0 Scotland’s red meat industry supports thousands of jobs – but ideal for producing top quality beef and lamb.”

He said that leading environmentalists and their organisations recognised the important role which livestock farming played in maintaining the country’s diverse environments and landscapes – particularly in the hills and uplands.

He added that meat producers also provided the bedrock upon which around 50,000 Scottish jobs relied, many of which were in fragile rural locations.

The short, animated video also focused on the contribution which the Scottish red meat industry makes to Scotland’s economy. “Red meat

production generates more than £2 billion for Scotland’s economy and our industry benefits from family farms run by farmers who share generations of livestock management skills and also embrace innovation and new technology,” said Mclaren.

He also claimed that Scotland’s livestock farmers were also global pioneers in quality assurance – which brought with it guarantees which he said were the envy of the world:

“There are 10,000 members of the Scottish industry’s whole chain assurance scheme, which makes animal welfare a priority,” said Mclaren.