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A cut above: how Scotch meat hits the highest standards

The rigorous system that ensures our pork, beef and lamb are the best of the best.

Succulent cuts of meat

Scotland is known around the world for producing high quality Scotch meat, with many people turning to our farmers and producers for the perfect cut.

Some of our country’s success in producing quality meat comes down to natural advantages. For example, did you know that over 80% of Scottish land is not suitable for growing crops on? Instead, this land is perfect for beef and lamb production. The quality of the grazing is so high that very little needs to be added to ensure that the animals are fed well.

But we are also lucky to have Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) working tirelessly behind the scenes to protect the reputation of Scotch meat, focusing on key factors like animal welfare.

Established to promote the red meat sector in Scotland, QMS’s role is to ensure that the meat we buy and consume in Scotland (Scotch Beef, Scotch Lamb and Specially Selected Pork) is ‘quality assured’.

How does the system work?

Pork Christmas trimmings tray bake
QMS’s regular checks ensure the pork we serve up is among the best in the world.

So, what does ‘quality assured’ mean? The quality assurance concept was born back in 1990. The idea came from the government which decided that we needed a body that could ensure all of our country’s meat was rigorously checked.

Some 30-plus years later, the scheme sees random spot checks being carried out at farms across Scotland to continue to ensure that all meat produced in this country is of the highest standards. It has helped establish Scotland as a place where quality meat is easily found and ready to be enjoyed by consumers.

With reassurance about how animals are reared becoming ever more important to consumers, the spot checks are the perfect way to underpin existing measures. The public can have confidence in the way animals in the QMS assurance schemes are cared for and in Scotch Beef PGI, Scotch Lamb PGI and Specially Selected Pork brands.

Following on from a successful pilot programme in late 2019, the spot checks programme visits will recommence from late July. They will focus on farms that have, on several occasions, failed to meet full compliance with key risk standards. The existing process, which sees spot checks undertaken when concerns are raised about a farm in the scheme, will also continue.

All of this allows QMS to ensure that the pork, meat and lamb produced in Scotland is the best of the best.

QMS has leading role at Taste of Grampian

Taste of Grampian
Taste of Grampian back in 2014.

Given QMS’s role in Scotland’s food production, it is only natural that it is one of this year’s main sponsors of the Taste of Grampian event.

The annual food and drink festival will be held this weekend, on Saturday, at P&J Live. It showcases the wonderfully produced, sustainable food of Scotland, revealing just how much the country has to offer the national and global food market.

The event also includes popular, live cooking demonstrations. This year, QMS will supply Specially Selected Pork for celebrity chef James Martin to cook during his sessions.

And it is easy enough for anyone in Scotland to use the same Specially Selected Pork when they try out the recipes for themselves back at home.

All you have to do is keep an eye out for the logo when you’re buying beef, lamb and pork, and choose items displaying the Scotch Beef and Scotch Lamb labelling. This labelling means you can rest-assured that everything has been checked correctly (quality assured), locally sourced, farmed with care and is fully traceable.


Don’t miss Taste of Grampian for some recipe inspiration. For more information on Specially Selected Pork, Scotch Beef or Scotch Lamb visit the QMS website.