Quality assurance in Scotland’s beef and lamb sector

This paper outlines the Scotch Quality Beef and Lamb Association (SQBLA) approach to quality assurance and product traceability in the beef and lamb sectors. The schemes employed provide assurance that set quality standards have been maintained throughout the production and marketing chain from farmer through to retailer and caterer. They were set up in response to a growing awareness, especially by the primary producer, of the need to be able to “guarantee” to the consumer the conditions under which an animal was reared and sold on. The schemes have been extended to include other sectors in the meat supply chain. There are complementary but separate schemes which are run by some processor/retailer partnerships and the paper outlines the operation of one of the most advanced ‐ Scotbeef’s Beeftrack system.