Efforts to open up new export sales for Scotch Beef and Scotch Lamb in Germany and Scandinavian markets are bearing fruit.
They became a priority for Quality Meat Scotland two years ago when it decided to look beyond traditional export markets in France, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg.
At yesterday’s Anuga food fair in Cologne, QMS revealed Berlin-based Recke Fleischwaren, which has a £42million turnover and 3,500 butcher, retail and restaurant customers, as a new customer.
Its had just taken its second shipment from Portlethen-based processor McIntosh Donald. Norbert Kunz, the chief executive of family-owned business, said it was delighted with the meat.
Other German meat firms are also on the verge of buying and there has been encouraging in sales to Sweden and Norway. Denmark’s top department store, Magasin, has also become a buyer of Scotland.
But international buyers are price conscious and Scotland faces competition from Ireland as well as Poland, which is now supplying a lot of beef into Italy.
QMS chairman Jim McLaren revealed a 2% rise in the value of meat exports last year to £78million, with demand for top-end cuts, offals and lower-priced offerings. But beef prices shot up over the period. He conceded beef exports are likely to have dropped this year as throughput is lower. UK sheepmeat sales were, however, up 8% to the end of July.
Mr McLaren also clarified comments he made previously on making better use of beef-sired calves from the dairy herd to boost abattoir throughput. The beef from them would still not be allowed in the Scotch Beef brand, which would remain for exclusively for beef from the suckler herd.