Chair of QMS Kate Rowell commenting on the Climate Change Committee’s (CCC’s) carbon budget advice for Scotland:

Chair of QMS Kate Rowell commenting on the Climate Change Committee’s (CCC’s) carbon budget advice for Scotland:

“Scotland’s recommendations from the Climate Change Committee (CCC) are out of touch with our societal needs and grossly undermine the powerful, multi-benefits of agriculture across food security, health, nature and economy.

“Our most serious concern is the CCC’s apparent disregard for the critical role of agriculture in securing a stable food supply. At a time when global demand for nutritious protein is rising year-on-year, it is unacceptable to overlook the food production capability of our Scottish farming sector. QMS’s economic modelling to 2030 – based on realistic projections of per capita red meat consumption and production levels – suggests the UK could face a shortfall of 124,000 tonnes of beef. This is a gap we have the capacity to fill domestically, avoiding unnecessary reliance on imports.

“We challenge the CCC’s evidence base, as we believe it is flawed. In fact, Defra’s meat balance sheets – which capture the total volume of meat available for consumption by adjusting production for imports and exports – show that beef supply has increased by 3.4% over the past decade when comparing three-year averages. In 2024, beef supply reached a six-year high. This calls into question whether the consumption trends cited by the CCC truly reflect the full picture.

“It is illogical and inconsistent with sustainability goals – including those under the Paris Agreement – to allow domestic production to decline and fill the gap with imports, especially when this penalises Scotland’s highly efficient, lower-emission producers and the rural communities that rely on them.

“Also notably absent is recognition of agriculture’s positive contribution to biodiversity and climate mitigation. Farming has natural carbon capture potential. The CCC must begin recognising the role that farmers play in land stewardship, including carbon sequestration through sustainable land management.

“Reducing greenhouse gas emissions remains a clear priority for the red meat supply chain – and we are making progress. QMS, together with AHDB, is developing robust data to help reduce emissions and quantify the net emissions of Scotland’s food and drink production. Our Environmental Baselining pilot, involving 22 Scottish beef, lamb and pig farmers, is already uncovering the real environmental services these farmers provide – both above and below ground – and we look forward to sharing the results later this year.

“We continue to press for long-term, multi-annual agricultural funding to support the sector in delivering public goods – from high-quality food to climate resilience and economic growth. But repurposing this support to shift away from sustainable livestock farming is not the answer. It undermines food security and threatens the viability of a sector that is already world-leading in efficiency and environmental stewardship.

“We will continue to assess the detail of the 29 measures to target livestock emissions along with the policy actions which have been identified for Scottish Government. As the CCC’s advice does not set policy, we will keep close engagement with Scottish Government as it considers the response in the months ahead.”