AIMS calls for Government support for Scottish red meat producers

AIMS highlighted a lack of support, particularly for suckler beef producers, in the wake of the QMS “Scottish Red Meat Resilience Group” initiative.

Dr Jason Aldiss, executive director, commented: “While the QMS campaign promotes unity and a public show of commitment to the red meat supply chain. AIMS argues that without firm policy, financial backing, and practical support from the Scottish Government, such pledges are little more than political theatre.

“Having spent years demanding significant reduction in livestock number to meet their precious climate goals, Ministers may claim they do not support the Climate Change Committee’s recommendation to cut livestock numbers, but their actions — or lack thereof — suggest otherwise.

“Not one substantive programme exists to stabilise or rebuild the national beef herd. Instead, years of dithering, weak leadership, and disjointed policy have stripped confidence from producers, who are quietly exiting the sector in droves.”

Aldiss continued: “Make no mistake: this is not simply a market adjustment. It is an economic clearance — a slow-motion dismantling of the suckler sector by political neglect. The echoes of the Highland Clearances are chilling. This time, it is not the landowners driving people out, but a Government that has chosen gesture politics over governance.

“The Scottish red meat industry — producers and processors alike — are crying out for leadership. What they get instead are press releases.

“Scotland’s beef processors have made long-term investments in domestic supply, in infrastructure, in export markets, quality standards and Scotland’s premium beef brand, PGI Scotch Beef. They rely on a sustainable flow of cattle, which is now under existential threat.”

“Rather than standing idly by while farmers sell off cows and grasslands fall silent, the Scottish Government must act.”

Dr Jason Aldiss, AIMS

Aldiss concluded: “Rather than standing idly by while farmers sell off cows and grasslands fall silent, the Scottish Government must act. It must create a framework that offers genuine incentives for producers to maintain and grow herd numbers and ensure that processors have the raw material to continue adding value, providing jobs, feeding the nation and driving growth through exports to high value markets”.

“This is a moment for candour: without urgent, coordinated, and properly funded policy intervention, Scotland will lose a large part of its red meat industry. The silence from Holyrood is not neutrality — it is complicity.”

Scotland Agricultural Minister Jim Fairlie responded: “There has never been a Government policy to reduce livestock and to claim so is misleading. We have also been very clear that meeting our carbon reduction targets will not be dependent on cutting herds.

“Unlike elsewhere in the UK we have maintained direct support, providing more than £600 million in payments every year, including supporting beef numbers with £40 million through the Scottish Suckler Beef Support Scheme, and recently launched a £14 million scheme to help farmers invest in more climate friendly activity to make their business more efficient.”

Ministers sign red meat pledge

The comments come following a ‘Meating Our Potential’ pledge was signed at the 2025 Royal Highland Show, with senior political figures from the Scottish and UK Governments amongst the signatories.

Figures who signed included: 

• John Swinney, First Minister of Scotland
• Mairi Gougeon, Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform, and Islands
• Jim Fairlie, Minister for Agriculture and Connectivity
• Ian Murray, Secretary of State for Scotland, UK Government
• Edward Mountain, MSP for Highlands and Islands
• Emma Harper, MSP for South Scotland
• Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire
• Alistair Carmichael, Chair of the UK Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee (EFRA)
• Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands