‘Champions of Scotch’ encouraged to sign up for another year

Following the successful relaunch in late 2020 and sustained mission to support independent butchers across the country, The Scotch Butchers Club, run by Quality Meat Scotland (QMS), is inviting its rapidly expanding member base to reap the rewards for the 2022/23 period.

The goal of the club, which grants its 280 affiliates a range of exclusive benefits and resources such as point-of-sale kits, direct access to consumer research and expert advice as well as the right to use the Scotch Beef PGI, Scotch Lamb PGI and Specially Selected Pork logos, is to help retailers increase their footfall and sales, while building stronger positive relationships with customers.

New for this year is a greater emphasis on the next generation of butchers, specifically, the Butchery Careers Programme. The club will be promoting the opportunities in butchery, providing links to real training, and giving members more information about the support available for apprenticeships.

Qualified butcher and Brands Development Manager at QMS, Gordon Newlands, commented: “Local Scotch butchers play a key role in the economies of many rural and smaller towns and villages across Scotland and beyond, and we want to work with all our members to ensure that both butchers and butchery remain at the heart of these communities.

“Encouraging young people towards the butchery pathway also remains a priority, and we want to demonstrate that it can be a highly rewarding career built on craftsmanship, innovation and opportunity.”

James Pringle of Pringle Butchers, Hawick in the Scottish Borders and member since 2020 says: “As an industry, we are constantly working to promote and educate consumers on the nutritional value, full traceability and sustainability credentials of red meat produced in abundance here in Scotland.

“As well as offering a solid support network of similar businesses, the Scotch Butchers Club has been a fantastic way of accessing all the resources necessary to instil confidence in our customers that the products they purchase from us are of the highest quality. As we look to safeguard the future of the red meat sector, we also relish the range of tools available for supporting our dedicated young apprentices to sharpen their skills.”

To renew your membership for 2022/23, download a form from https://www.scotchbutchers.com/and return it to sbc@qmscotland.co.uk by 31st May 2022.

For more information on Scotch Beef PGI, Scotch Lamb PGI and Specially Selected Pork, or to find out more about the Scotch Butchers Club, visit https://www.scotchbutchers.com/