The Scottish lamb supply chain will come under the spotlight during a special conference in Edinburgh next month.
The event will focus on production of lamb in Scotland to examine how improvements and efficiencies can be made along the various links of the farm to plate chain.
Turning to successful models of red meat production in New Zealand, keynote speaker for the day will be James Parsons, chairman of Beef and Lamb New Zealand Ltd, a farmer-owned industry organisation representing the country’s sheep and beef producers.
The chairman of event organisers Farm Stock (Scotland), Ian Watson, said the day aims to bring a local level farmer-led project to the national stage.
“As a key link in the red meat supply chain, sourcing prime lambs and beef animals direct from farm, Farm Stock (Scotland) has been involved in various initiatives and projects to try and create greater efficiency in the chain,” he said.
“We worked with our farmer members to look at how they might secure better returns by having a greater understanding of the needs of others in the supply chain.”
This discussion, he said, was now being rolled out to include key stakeholders from across Scotland and the meat industry – starting from the platform of the Lamb Supply Conference – at Murrayfield Stadium, on Wednesday, October 5.
“A question that often comes to the fore in such discussions, especially as we now look ahead to a post-Brexit marketplace, is how can our farmers better compete with imported meat. I am delighted that James Parsons has accepted our invitation to speak at the conference. What better way to gain a better understanding and knowledge of our competitors than to hear from them – and quiz them – first hand?”
Cabinet Secretary for the Rural Economy and Connectivity, Fergus Ewing, will open the conference with an address.
Also joining the line-up will be Jonathan Birnie, head of agriculture and research at major international red meat processor Dunbia Ltd; Marcus Maxwell, director of the Galloway Lamb marketing group; Steve McLean, head of agriculture and fisheries sourcing at Marks and Spencer; and Nathan Ward, business unit director for meat, fish and poultry at Kantar Worldpanel.
