Scotland's red meat sector urged to seize '£400m opportunity' as leaders call for united national approach at QMS conference

More than 250 farmers, processors, auctioneers, retailers and other industry leaders gathered at Murrayfield Stadium this week for Quality Meat Scotland’s (QMS’s) ‘Future Thinking on Red Meat’ conference, a day defined by robust market insight and a rallying call for Scotland’s red meat sector to cultivate significant economic opportunities.

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 supporting around 40,000 jobs and contributing £3.5bn to economy, alongside a record £164m 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 provided a global supply outlook, revealing 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, which has already reached over 3 million people on the beef sector’s significant economic opportunity to feed our growing nation with locally produced, sustainable red meat. She highlighted the importance of the Scottish Government’s rejection of the Climate Change Committee’s carbon budget advice for Scotland recommendation to reduce cattle numbers and 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.

Lesley Ann Gray, Strategic Insight Director Scotland at Worldpanel by Numerator, shared fresh data on Scottish shopper behaviour. One headline statistic from the data shows usage of GLP1 agonist weight loss medications in the UK has almost doubled in a year (from 2.3% to 4.1%), driving demand for nutrient dense, lean proteins. This shift presents a strategic opportunity for Scotland’s red meat sector, particularly for pork, which offers a strong value proposition due to its close price proximity to chicken.

Across the day, speakers reinforced the need for collaboration, confident storytelling and renewed ambition. Whether highlighting provenance, welfare or economic impact, the message was consistent: Scotland has the support, the data and the market signals - now it must act.

Summing up the sentiment of the day, QMS Chief Executive Sarah Millar said: “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.”

With special thanks to our conference sponsors The Institute of Auctioneers and Appraisers in Scotland, Scotland Food & Drink, Virgin Money, National Beef Association, ABP and Kepak-McIntosh Donald.

Presentation slides, further information from the day and professional photography will all be available soon on our website, qmscotland.co.uk