28 November 2012

1 minute read

Europe

The blueprint tackles a comprehensive list of measures designed to maintain production, improve on-farm efficiency, build on animal health and preserve and protect Scotch beef’s reputation as a premium brand.

Speaking ahead of the meetings, NFU Scotland President Nigel Miller said:“Scotch beef is a success story. It is a premium product with huge brand awareness. At farm level, calf registrations are up and prices are up but future long-term prospects are still on the edge.

“Scotch beef is a world-recognised brand – it is valued by consumers as a mark of quality and is delivering a premium of 20 to 30p per kilo back to the industry," adds Mr Miller.

A falling national cow herd has caused upset in Scotland for some time and now cows are coming from outside Scotland's borders.

“The threats are all to apparent," Said Nigel Miller."We have been losing critical mass and our cow numbers are down 20 per cent on 1997.17 per cent of cattle going through Scottish abattoirs are now from England or Northern Ireland.

“We need a blueprint that will help build cow numbers and sustain beef production in Scotland in the long run. We need to help herds with their profitability and efficiency, provide our plants with the right kind of animals to optimise processing and have better carcase quality information," Mr Miller concluded.

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