More than 250 farmers, processors, auctioneers, retailers and other industry leaders gathered at Murrayfield Stadium for Quality Meat Scotland’s (QMS) ‘Future Thinking on Red Meat’ conference.
In her final key speech as Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands, Mairi Gougeon emphasised the vitality of the red meat sector to Scotland’s economy and rural communities. She urged the industry to “work as ‘Team Scotland’” while sending a “clear message” to the red meat sector on its importance as a vital part of the Scottish economy. Gougeon highlighted that the sector supported around 40,000 jobs and contributed £3.5 billion to economy, alongside £164 million in red meat exports in 2025.
Gougeon praised both processors and producers for their resilience and reiterated that the Government “stands ready” to support collaborative progress across the supply chain.
International Meat Secretariat secretary general Dr Phil Hadley revealed a projected 600,000 tonne shortfall between meat production and consumption by 2030. He stressed that Scotland, with its natural assets and high animal welfare systems, is “well positioned to respond to tightening global supply”, if it moves decisively.
QMS chief executive Sarah Millar highlighted the organisation’s ‘Meating Our Potential’ campaign in partnership with the Scottish Red Meat Resilience Group, as well as the importance of the Scottish Government’s rejection of the Climate Change Committee’s carbon budget advice for Scotland recommendation to reduce cattle numbers. Millar also underscored the scale of the £400 million opportunity in beef alone by 2030, but reiterated industry, Government and citizens “all have a role in unlocking it”.
Data on Scottish shopper behaviour was shared by Worldpanel by Numerator strategic insight director of Scotland Lesley Ann Gray, with one statistic from the data showing that usage of GLP-1 agonist weight loss medications in the UK had almost doubled in a year (from 2.3% to 4.2%), driving demand for nutrient dense, lean proteins. Gray went on to say that the shift presented a “strategic opportunity” for Scotland’s red meat sector, particularly for pork, which, she said, offers a “strong value proposition” due to its close price proximity to chicken.
“We need confidence in the supply chain, confidence in our future, and confidence to tell our story more loudly and more consistently to consumers, to Government and to global markets.”
Sarah Millar, QMS
Summing up the sentiment of the day, QMS chief executive Sarah Millar commented: “The first QMS conference in six years has been a fantastic success and it showed, unequivocally, that Scotland has everything it needs to continue to be a global leader in premium red meat, world‑class livestock, world‑class people and world‑class provenance. The door is wide open for us.
“But opportunity doesn’t unlock itself. We need confidence in the supply chain, confidence in our future, and confidence to tell our story more loudly and more consistently to consumers, to Government and to global markets.
“The data is on our side, the public mood is on our side and, crucially, the Government is on our side. If we choose to act as one – industry, decision makers and citizens – Scotland won’t simply keep pace with the global red meat sector. We will set the pace.”
