Surge in membership for Scottish Quality Assurance Scheme
Surge in membership for Scottish Quality Assurance Scheme
There has been a significant increase in the number of farmers applying to become members of Quality Meat Scotland’s Cattle and Sheep Quality Assurance scheme.
At the start of this year QMS launched a major recruitment drive to increase the membership of this quality assurance scheme. The first four months of 2015 more than 160 applications from new members were received.
Currently, over 90% of Scotland’s breeding cattle population and 80% of the breeding sheep flock are born on farms covered by quality assurance, along with almost 100% of significant pig farming businesses.
QMS’ Jim McLaren.
Jim McLaren, chairman of QMS, emphasised the importance of everyone in the industry continuing to work together to reduce the number of businesses which don’t yet benefit from quality assurance: “Whether you are a farmer, haulier, feed company, auction market operator or a processor, it is vital to the future of these businesses and our industry that everyone is united in support of our whole chain quality assurance.”
The recruitment drive has also seen many processors and auctioneers contacting any non-assured customers to encourage them to become members.
