Survey shows increase in returns for some despite troubled times

The latest benchmarking survey of Scottish sheep and cattle enterprises shows that a number of businesses achieved higher market returns despite increased costs and the continuing impact of the pandemic and Brexit.

An enterprise profitability report commissioned by Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) covers the 2021 calf and lamb crop and identifies the continued correlation between technical performance, sound economic management and lower emissions intensity within the top third of performers in the Scottish livestock industry.

The levy body’s market intelligence manager, Iain Macdonald said: “Although 2021 was a more positive year for some of the enterprise types, the range of performance and the key contributing factors to the variation in outcomes between businesses are highlighted in the results. The success of top producers continued to be characterised by strong cost control, greater productivity, and tight technical performance.”

He said stronger returns “are likely to have been offset by a further surge in input cost pressures, many of which are related to the impact of the war in Ukraine on crop and energy markets”.

The report looked at the lamb and calf crop.