By Community contributor
QMS hosted Scotland s first red meat conference in February 2020 bringing together indivduals from across its supply chain By Quality Meat Scotland QMS 2021 Wish List • That the Brexit negotiations will take the time necessary to achieve a trade deal with the EU • That Covid-19 will pass, and normality will return quickly in 2021 to allow the hospitality industry to resume trading • Consumers will maintain their appetite to buy and home cook local Scottish food for the duration of the Covid-19 restrictions • That all of Scotland’s retailers will commit to stocking 100% Scotch Beef, Scotch Lamb and Specially Selected Pork
Quality Meat Scotland’s (QMS) promotional activity encouraging consumers to ‘Make It’ Scotch Lamb on St Andrew’s Day has delivered impressive results. In partnership with the National Farmers Union Scotland (NFUS), the Institute of Auctioneers and Appraisers Scotland (IAAS), and the National Sheep Association Scotland (NSAS), QMS supported United Auctions’ campaign to make Scotch Lamb PGI the national day dish. As part of the campaign, QMS established a media partnership with the Daily Record, which generated over 500,000 opportunities to see Lamb for St Andrew’s Day online and in print. The partnership features recipe inspiration and top tips from chefs ‘The Kilted Chef’ Craig Wilson and Justin Maule as well as farmer, butcher, and owner of Damn Delicious, Michael Shannon.
Here she opened up to Kathryn Dick about her biggest career hurdles and most abiding memories. Background? I was brought up on the family farm in Perthshire and shadowed my dad around the farm to various markets and farm sales. I went to secondary school in Perth, which was handy for getting to the mart. I did my fair share of skiving during February and October, and headed down the street to McDonald and Fraser’s mart for the famous Perth Bull Sales. After school I completed a HND in Agriculture at SAC Edinburgh and my practical year was spent in West Sussex working for the Baird family. On leaving College I came home to work with our Westhall herd of cattle and sheep flocks.
A new online toolkit has been released by Quality Meat Scotland to support Scotland’s red meat industry to engage in positive conversations about red meat during January. QMS Chair, Kate Rowell, emphasised the importance of positively conveying the benefits of eating red meat as part of a healthy, balanced diet after the festive period. “Within the red meat industry, January can bring a sense of trepidation with anti-red meat rhetoric flooding social media. “Although it can seem like the month is hijacked and distorted with misinformation, it is essential that farmers, butchers, hauliers, auction marts, and processors feel like they are well equipped to positively engage, inform and promote the benefits of our industry, and this toolkit will support them in doing so,” said Kate.