Beef industry still beset by in-fighting as merger stuck in talks

By ANDREW ARBUCKLE
Published on 16/08/2012 00:00

Although many outside the beef sector may have thought that the link between the Scottish Beef Cattle Association and the Scottish region of the National Beef Association had been made at the Highland Show with a public pronouncement, the reality was different.

Since then, despite the best efforts of former NFUS president John Ross to bring harmony to the situation there have been squabbles between the two bodies.

These disagreements have largely been focussed on where the subscriptions for the new body, to be called the Scottish Beef Association, would be processed.

The NBA would like to see the cash going to their headquarters at Hexham with a percentage then returned to Scotland while the SBCA take the opposite view, with the main subscription staying in Scotland.

Although it was claimed that progress was made at a meeting between NBA (Scotland) chairman Hamish McBean, SBCA president John Cameron and SBA representatives last week, it appears that divide has still to be crossed.

And until that is decided, there seems little chance of officebearers being appointed to run the new SBA board and for it to be the sole voice representing the beef industry in Scotland.

At the Highland Show, Ross stated that the single organisation with a membership in excess of 600 would have a far stronger voice than its two parents.