Opposition softens towards food logo
14 June 2000
Opposition softens towards food logo
by Shelley Wright
OPPOSITION appears to be softening in Scotland to the logo launched by Tony Blair this week in a bid to promote sales of British produce.
The logo, which shows a red tractor with blue wheels, denotes hygiene, welfare and environment standards. It was launched on Tuesday (13 June).
However, Scottish producers gave it a mixed response – partly because the logo was designed for the National Farmers Union of England and Wales.
But livestock producers north of the border could be keen to use kitemark to help promote Scottish meat if it proves popular with consumers.
Dumfriesshire farmer Donald Biggar, vice-chairman of Quality Meat Scotland, which promotes red meat, said producers may have to embrace the logo.
Mr Biggar said his organisations main objective was to maintain separate and superior identity for Scottish meat produced by Scottish producers.
He added: The logo has government backing and support from supermarkets. So we may have to adopt it, but only alongside our own Scottish identity marks.
Quality Meat Scotland is a new body which is being formed by amalgamating the work of three existing bodies working to promote Scottish meat.
The organisations are the Scotch Quality Beef and Lamb Association, the Scottish Pig Industry Initiative and Meat and Livestock Commission in Scotland.
Newly-appointed managing director Alasdair Muir is now amalgamating staff from the three organisations ready for the official launch of QMS on 1 July.
Mr Muir, who has spent his career boosting global sales of scotch whisky, believes that lack of agricultural background is no disadvantage.
From whisky to meat, its all about developing brands with long-term sustainable growth, he said
Brands add value and, hopefully, deliver a premium. Our job is to communicate the superiority of Scotlands meat.
However, it is unlikely there will be no senior role in the new organisation for Brian Simpson, chief executive of the Scotch Quality Beef and Lamb Association.
That has added fuel to the fire of opponents to Quality Meat Scotland who are calling for an investigation into the way the new organisation was established.
One of the most vociferous opponents is farmer Andrew Stuart Wood.
Mr Wood has sent a petition to the Scottish Parliament, which is due to be heard in the next fortnight, calling for urgent investigation.
When Scottish agriculture is going through the present crises, the last thing you disrupt is the promotion of its product, he said.
Quality Meat Scotland has an initial budget for the first year of 3.5m, from MLC levies and funding from the Scottish Executive and Scottish Enterprise.