Red meat shortage in Scotland: FOI release

Information requested

In response to reports of a potential red meat shortage in Scotland:

(1) Has the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs recently met with the Scottish Association of Meat Wholesalers to discuss the reported problems the sector faces?

(2) If the answer to (1) is yes, can you share any minutes of that/those meeting(s)?

(3) Has the Cabinet Secretary had any other correspondence with the Scottish Association of Meat Wholesalers in relation to the reported problem? If so, please can you share that?

(4) What action is the Scottish Government going to take to ensure red meat supplies are maintained in response to the concerns?

(5) In the last two years how many times has the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs met with the Scottish Association of Meat Wholesalers?

(6) In terms of (4) can you share any minutes from previous meetings?

Response

I will address each of your questions in turn.

On (1) and (2) I have interpreted your question (1) as any meetings relating to there being a potential red meat shortage since SAMW raised this issue in the media on 8 January 2025. There have been no meetings, either before or after that date, between the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands and SAMW on this issue.

(3) The Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands received an invitation from SAMW on 15 July 2024 to attend the SAMW conference and lunch on 6 September 2024. A copy of this is attached, and within that the Cabinet Secretary was asked to share insights at the conference on critical topics such as how to stabilise the beef herd to maintain critical mass in the Scottish red meat sector. The Cabinet Secretary was unable to attend and the Minister for Agriculture attended on behalf of Scottish Government. Likewise, the Cabinet Secretary received an invitation to the 2023 SAMW conference which references “the decline in breeding livestock numbers”. The Cabinet Secretary attended the conference and the original letter and the reply is included within this reply pack.

(4) Scotland’s meat sector is globally recognised for its quality and the Scottish Government believes that Scotland can be a global leader in sustainable and regenerative agriculture. The Scottish Government developed reforms with the industry, such as the introduction of a calving interval condition to the Scottish Suckler Beef Support Scheme, to maintain the £40 million paid annually to beef producers and reduce the environmental impact of their businesses.

The Scottish Government support package for livestock farmers is the most tailored in the UK, including voluntary coupled support for beef production and support for Less Favoured areas through the LFASS scheme providing specific additional direct support to our red meat sector. The Scottish Government will continue to work in partnership with the livestock sector to consider how we meet the challenges of declining livestock numbers.

The Scottish Government also provided the red meat processing industry with £500,000 in additional financial support this financial year to help with cost increases.

(5) and (6) As the date of your request was 13 January 2025, the following answer pertains to the period 13 January 2023 to 13 January 2025.

During this period the Cabinet Secretary has not met directly with SAMW. However, she did speak at the SAMW Annual Conference on 9th September 2023. As this was a Conference rather than a meeting, there are no minutes relating to this event.

I would also note that the Cabinet Secretary regularly engages in fora within which SAMW are present. For example, within the time period of your request, the Cabinet Secretary has attended the Food Sector Resilience Group and the Royal Highland Show, both of which are attended by industry representatives including SAMW.

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FOI 202500447889 - Information Released - Annex

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