Scotland makes decisive move on EU meat exports

12-Aug-2012 - Last updated on 15-Aug-2012 at 15:10 GMT

Scotland has stepped up plans to target Germany and the Nordic countries with beef and lamb exports, setting up focused export managers specifically to promote them.

In a joint collaboration, Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) and Scottish Development International (SDI) have appointed Peter Toholt to the German role and Jakob True to heads up exports to the Nordic countries. David Chiffoleau and Huub Schoemaker were reconfirmed by QMS in their respective roles covering France and the Benelux countries.

Toholt has previously worked as a marketing consultant for the Butchers’ Confederation of North Rhine-Westphalia. He was also product manager for Paris-based food promotion body SOPEXA, responsible for marketing, sales promotion and communication for meat and meat products.

Jim McLaren, chairman of Quality Meat Scotland, said: "Germany is an exciting market for Scotch Beef and Scotch Lamb with a population of meat-lovers and a growing swell of gastronomes who have strong appreciation of top quality food.

German consumers

“German consumers are showing increasing taste for quality steaks and also very enthusiastic lamb eaters. Importantly, Scotland has a very strong positive image in Germany and our collaboration with SDI offers a great opportunity to further develop Scotland’s reputation as ‘the land of food and drink’ in a market which has previously proved challenging.

“Our refocused export strategies, announced last year, will not only see our iconic brands gain an even stronger foothold on the continent but also contribute significantly to the vital issue of carcase balance which adds to the efficiency of the Scottish processing sector and adds value to the entire red meat supply chain.”

Anne MacColl, chief executive of Scottish Development International, said: "Funded by both Scottish Development International and Quality Meat Scotland, this is a fantastic example of working together for the overall benefit of Scotland's world-leading food and drink industry.

Ambitious businesses

"This new appointment will enable us to support ambitious businesses to tap into the increasingly lucrative Scotch beef and lamb markets that exist throughout Germany as well as the wider German food and drink sector."

The intention to appoint two new export market managers for Germany and the Nordic Countries was revealed by Rural Affairs Secretary Richard Lochhead when he announced £300,000 additional funding to encourage growth in key European countries at the QMS marketing conference in January this year.

Strong demand, particularly from the EU, meant Scotch Lamb and Scotch Beef exports grew during 2011 with the total export market now worth an estimated £116m to the Scottish industry. In 2011 the farming and processing of red meat in Scotland generated a combined record turnover of some £2.1bn.