Scotland Celebrates Lamb for St Andrew’s Day 2025 with QMS and IAAS

Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) and the Institute of Auctioneers and Appraisers in Scotland (IAAS) have once again celebrated Lamb for St Andrew’s Day, delivering a nationwide programme of events, educational initiatives and media campaigns highlighting the natural quality and distinct flavour of Scotch Lamb. The 2025 campaign engaged hundreds of schoolchildren, industry stakeholders and consumers across Scotland.

The initiative began at Holyrood, where a lamb-focused canteen lunch welcomed MSPs including Mairi Gougeon, Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands, and Jim Fairlie, Minister for Agriculture and Connectivity. The event gave politicians and stakeholders the chance to experience Scotch Lamb firsthand and learn more about the initiative. Willie Rennie MSP also lodged a motion in the Scottish Parliament recognising the importance of Lamb for St Andrew’s Day for Scotland’s farming sector. Further engagement took place during a Scotland Food & Drink event, strengthening connections between policymakers and the wider industry.

Education and community engagement were a key focus of this year’s campaign. Lamb-themed activities reached over 1,100 pupils across Scotland, including sessions at RHET Forth Valley and Fife Food & Farming Days, West College Scotland, Queensferry High School, Bannockburn High School and multiple other schools. Pupils enjoyed demonstrations, cookery sessions and tastings of Scotch Lamb, many for the first time. Apple Tree Nursery introduced ‘Lamb Fridays’ to mark the celebration, while a new recipe card, Scotch Lamb, Tomato & Basil Orzo, was sent to more than 300 schools to encourage Home Economics departments to cook with Scotch Lamb during Tasty Little Lamb Week.

Industry and consumer engagement extended beyond schools. Influencers partnered with QMS’s consumer-facing brand, Make It Scotch, to create high-quality lamb content on Instagram, generating over 120,000 organic views and reaching more than 50,000 people. A dedicated St Andrew’s Day dinner event brought influencers and media together for a cooking demonstration with Chef Eadie Manson, followed by a mock auction led by livestock auctioneer Murray Steel, offering insight into life at the auction mart.

Bauer Radio listeners enjoyed £100 Scotch Butcher Club voucher giveaways, which proved extremely popular, while paid social campaigns drove traffic to the Lamb for St Andrew’s Day page on the Make It Scotch website. The Bauer campaign delivered 3.8 million broadcast impacts over a two-week period, while paid social activity achieved 682k impressions on Meta and 352k clicks on YouTube, with 92.8% of ads watched 100% of the way through. Retail collaborations, including a featured Lidl advert, further amplified the campaign in stores nationwide.

Industry engagement included support for Scotch Lamb at key events over the St Andrew’s Day weekend. QMS and IAAS provided lamb for the National Sheep Association (NSA) Lamb for St Andrew’s Day dinner on 29 November, as well as a special Lamb for St Andrew’s Day dinner at the Scottish Association of Young Farmers Clubs (SAYFC) Agri & Rural Affairs Weekend. At the SAYFC dinner, Abby Goldie, Community Engagement Coordinator at QMS, joined Scotch Ambassador Anna MacKinnon to promote Scotch Lamb and explain how young farmers can support the campaign. These sponsorships helped showcase Scottish lamb to both industry stakeholders and young farmers.

Tracy Martin, Reputation Manager at QMS, said: “Lamb for St Andrew’s Day 2025 has been a fantastic celebration of Scotland’s high-quality Scotch Lamb, bringing together schools, communities, industry and consumers. From educational events and cookery sessions in over 1,100 pupils’ classrooms to MSP engagement, media and social campaigns, and sponsorship of key industry dinners, the initiative has showcased the versatility, flavour and natural goodness of Scotch Lamb across the nation.”

Neil Wilson, Executive Director of the Institute of Auctioneers and Appraisers in Scotland (IAAS), said: “IAAS was once again delighted to work with QMS to promote Lamb for St Andrew’s Day. The celebration sits at the heart of Scotland’s livestock marts at this time of year and reflects auctioneers’ desire to drive increased consumption of lamb on behalf of their market customers. A big thank you to everyone who took part in the 2025 celebrations — we are already looking forward to 2026.”

Since its launch in 2010, Lamb for St Andrew’s Day has grown from a single idea into a nationwide celebration, encouraging people across Scotland to enjoy lamb on 30 November, much like haggis on Burns Night. Over the years, nearly 3.1 tonnes of lamb have been delivered to 600 schools, reaching more than 65,000 pupils.

For more information on how to celebrate Lamb for St Andrew’s Day, visit the QMS website or follow QMS and IAAS on social media.