Chicken could be given premium branding to promote it in the same way as other meat produced in Scotland, the rural affairs secretary has suggested.
Richard Lochhead said he was interested in the possibility of marketing chicken in a similar way to Scotch Beef, Scotch Lamb and Specially Selected Pork.
It is part of the Scottish Government’s poultry plan, said to be designed to make the sector more sustainable and profitable.
The sector faces “immediate challenges”, according to Mr Lochhead, but he is “convinced” there is strong demand for Scottish poultry.
The future of at least 15 chicken farming businesses in the north and north-east is decidedly bleak – unless a new producer association can save their operations.
Growers north and west of Aberdeen appear almost certain to be ditched in a restructuring by the 2 Sisters Food Group of its loss-making poultry processing site at Coupar Angus, where throughput is being cut by 225,000 birds a week and 200 jobs are likely to be axed.
Mr Lochhead’s plan could identify opportunities for farmers to work together to cut costs and provide support for the newly formed Scottish Chicken Growers Association.
“Scotland produces first-class poultry to high animal-welfare standards and I am doing everything in my power to ensure our poultry industry has a positive future, and that the chicken consumed in Scotland is produced in Scotland,” Mr Lochhead said.
“There are immediate challenges facing the Scottish poultry sector and I do not want to see any farmers go out of business.
“This plan, which has been produced in consultation with industry representatives and other key stakeholders, will help us address those challenges.”
The quality and provenance of food products was “of paramount importance for consumers in the wake of the horse-meat scandal”, he said.
“I am convinced that there is strong demand in Scotland for the fantastic poultry being produced here.
“I am very interested in exploring the creating of a premium brand for Scottish chicken, a tactic that has worked well to promote Specially Selected Scottish Pork, Scotch Beef and Scotch Lamb.
“The poultry plan also identifies ways in which poultry farmers themselves can work together to cut costs and take advantage of opportunities in the market.
“It is essential that everyone now pulls together to secure a sustainable and profitable future for Scotland’s poultry sector.”
Chicken farmers hit by a restructuring at 2 Sisters are drawing together an action plan to save their businesses.
The document will be put to the 2 Sisters Food Group and its affiliated production arm, 2 Agriculture, at a meeting on January 8.
It will present the growers’ vision of how they can all be used – rather than just a select few – to provide the birds 2 Sisters requires for its processing plant at Coupar Angus.