Unfortunately, I missed the QMS breakfast invite at the Royal Highland Show this year and the Scottish Minister, Mairi Gougeon’s address, which, listening to my colleagues who were there, was a mixture of underwhelming virtue signalling, vacuous nonsense, a bit about support and not much else.

Why not cut out the middleman and send the anti-meat production Green goons instead and stop pretending that Scottish Government in its present incarnation is in favour of any commercial livestock production at all?

Looking at the new Scottish Government and Food & Drink Scotland’s industry-led strategy, presumably approved by the said Greens, it’s easy to see why beef and lamb production are barely mentioned, beyond a picture each of cattle, sheep and pigs.

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The strategy’s 3 ‘overarching missions’ are to “be more resilient”, “be more growth focused” and to “be more sustainable”, with references to “building our brand” and “the journey to net zero”. Wow, how original. Green verbiage again.

It goes on – “Our farmers, growers, and crofters work hard to get the most out of our terrain and abundant rainfall to grow crops and rear livestock, and we have high standards of environmental safeguarding, animal welfare, and husbandry.”

You don’t say ...

Given that Scotch Beef, one of the world’s most recognisable food products gets no mention whatsoever, I think we get the message. And if this new strategy is truly ‘industry-led’ who was there representing Scotch Beef and Scotch Lamb processors? QMS?

Almost by coincidence and coinciding with the new Green led strategy, QMS has just published its update report ‘Scottish Red Meat Industry Profile’ which highlights ‘the sector’s contribution to food security and the rural economy, using Scotland’s natural land resources and climate to produce high quality sources of protein for consumers at home, in the rest of the UK and overseas.’

If ever there was a document which emphasises the importance of Scotland’s red meat industry to the economy, this is it.

It includes a large section on international trade reporting growth in the value of Scotland’s meat and meat preparation exports.

No doubt QMS would like to be able to report accurately to the Scottish Government their contribution to delivering the new ‘industry-led strategy’.

But there is a problem, noted on page 58 of the QMS report, namely, that to obtain a more comprehensive understanding of Scottish meat exports, an analysis was conducted on the sales data from selected ports in Scotland but due to the limited availability of data from HMRC, only a total revenue of £8.1m – a mere 6.3% of the total Scottish export value in the meat and meat preparations category in 2022 is reported.

Non-EU and EU exports accounted for 97% and 3% of export data available from Scottish ports respectively.

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QMS’s report states that: “Trade with EU countries has been excluded from the analysis of the ports data because it covers only a minimal share of Scottish exports to the EU, whereas non-EU trade is likely to be highly representative. Of the total meat category exports to non-EU countries from Scottish ports, equal to £7.9m in 2022, Asia and Oceania represented 65% of the total value. Edible offal contributed 65% of exports, followed by fresh and frozen beef (19%).”

Is it possibly the lack of accurate data from HMRC as to the true value of Scotland’s meat and meat preparation exports that has led the processing sector to be effectively excluded from the Government’s new strategy?

Who knows, maybe if accurate export data were available, the 2028 target might be much nearer to being realised now.

It appears to me that Scottish livestock farming is totally ignored in its contribution to environmental goals, which whether you agree with them or not, reeks of an extremist Green agenda which half decent thinking Scottish Government Ministers appear to have no control over.

Remember Jim Walker’s sustainable beef report of a couple of years ago which ultimately got the sensible thinking Fergus Ewing sacked for his efforts.

But as the First Minister restated in Dundee over the week, with his ambitions for an independent Scotland, it is incumbent on him, his Ministers and those representing the Scottish meat processing sector to stand by their products and promote them to every possible market at every given opportunity. We can but wish.

One final question.

Where does this leave QMS with a hostile Scottish government to red meat production to whom it ultimately answers?

I await the answer.