Chair of the Scottish Beef Association Paul Ross said: “The Climate Change Committee’s suggestion to reduce the beef herd further, will only lead to more imported product in the UK, that will no doubt have a bigger carbon footprint than Scottish Beef.

“If this decline continues there will be insufficient cattle for all the processors to survive, leading to less competition in the market.

“Both Holyrood and Westminster need to focus on food security and provide incentives for breeding cattle to remain on Scottish farms, producing an excellent source of protein.”

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QMS chief executive, Sarah Millar, said: “We have been working in collaboration with stakeholders across supply chain to examine impact that cattle populations have on economic contribution to Scotland. That work has identified three key areas that could make a significant difference to performance and realise economic opportunities if action was taken.

“These being: stabilising the beef herd against the long-term downwards trend, boosting productivity of the breeding herd and slowing the outflow of prime cattle from Scotland by strengthening the hand of Scottish finishers.

“Our workstreams at QMS, particularly that of our business development teams is aligned to these objectives through key programmes of activity.”

Lisa Hislop livestock policy manager at NFUS said: “The continued decline in the beef herd in Scotland and associated unintended consequences, have been long recognised. Every player in the supply chain has a role to play to consider the metrics required to stabilise our herd numbers and enable Scottish farmers and crofters to continue to supply high quality red meat, deliver vital public goods and support rural communities.

“The current strong and needed beef price, which has been long overdue, sends the right signals back to the primary producer and instils some confidence for suckler production in Scotland. NFUS continues to underline the importance of equitable returns through the whole supply chain in dialogue with retailers.

“Furthermore, we (NFUS) continue to advocate for effective and targeted policy which enables innovation, efficiency and productivity gains to be realised. It is equally important that consideration is given to ensure policy is accessible for new entrants and the next generation.”

Scott Walker chief executive of the Scottish Association of Meat Wholesalers said: “We appreciate the Scottish Government’s assurances on supporting livestock farmers to maintain production. This is just the start, however, not the conclusion and certainly not the solution that will enable the country’s livestock farmers to actually increase output.

“We need the same positive response of livestock numbers with the emissions question being addressed from a positive management position rather than the negative stance which is so often taken. The truth is, Scottish red meat production is better for the environment than in many other countries and that should be the launch point for debate, not how do we cut, cut, cut, and export our emissions to other countries.”