Three New Board Members for Quality Meat Scotland

The appointment of three new members to the board of Quality Meat Scotland (QMS), has been announced by the Scottish Government today (March 6th 2015) following a rigorous selection process.

The new appointees are Jock Gibson, who runs Macbeth’s butchers in Forres, Scott Henderson, a farmer from Dumfries, and Kate Rowell, a qualified vet and farmer from Peeblesshire.

The appointments will be for four years and will run from April 1, 2015 to March 31, 2019.

Jim McLaren, Chairman of Quality Meat Scotland, said: “It is extremely encouraging that so many skilled and knowledgeable people applied for the positions and I welcome the selection of three individuals who are well respected in the industry. 

“We look forward to welcoming Jock, Scott and Kate on board and I am confident they will bring a valuable combination of skills, fresh ideas and experience to the board.

“Our thanks go to John Craig, who is standing down this month, for his commitment and enthusiasm during his term on the board.”

Scottish Government announced the re-appointment of Jim McLaren as Chairman of Quality Meat Scotland in January this year, when board member John Scott was also re-appointed.

Notes:

Jock Gibson runs his family Butchers Macbeth’s in Forres concentrating on marketing and promotion, particularly for the mail order business.  He is customer facing and passionate about the butchery sector and is also involved in the family beef hill farm where they breed Highland, Shorthorn and Aberdeen Angus cross cattle.

Kate Rowell is a beef and sheep farmer from an upland LFA farm in Peeblesshire which runs 75 suckler cows, 430 mule ewes and 350 blackface ewes.  She is a qualified vet and worked in a mixed practice in the North of England for eight years before returning home to take over the family farm.  She and her husband have been monitor farmers for the last two years and she has been involved in helping at her children’s schools and on other farm visits with the Royal Highland Education Trust. 

Scott Henderson graduated with an agriculture degree in 1975, and since then has worked on the family farm on the outskirts of Dumfries.  He has built up the business with his brother and they now run a herd of 450 beef cows and a 450 ewe flock with the help of their two sons.  Their main enterprise, however, is finishing around 1800 cattle annually.  Scott has been a Member of the QMS Cattle and Sheep Standards Committee and served as Chair of the Scottish Beef Association.