Campaign to promote Scotch lamb

Although Scotland produces more lamb than almost any other country, there is no link with any big home consumption of this red meat. However, yesterday saw the launch of a St Andrew's Day Scotch Lamb campaign aimed at changing that equation.

Speaking during a visit to Fife-based sheep and beef producer John Cameron at Balbuthie, First Minister, Alex Salmond welcomed the show of retailer commitment to the Quality Meat Scotland campaign supported by the Scottish Government.

The coming weeks will see Scotch lamb promoted as "Perfect for St Andrew's Day" in almost 1,000 outlets throughout Scotland. Among the major multiple retailers which will be encouraging shoppers to celebrate St Andrew's Day with Scotch lamb are Tesco, Morrisons, Sainsbury, Marks and Spencer, the Co-operative and Lidl.

Additionally, almost 800 butchers shops and independent retailers are also supporting the campaign, including around 300 Scotch Butchers Club members, and all will be displaying promotional material featuring leg of Scotch lamb, developed in collaboration with the Scottish Federation of Meat Traders Association.

This month's launch of the Scotch Lamb St Andrew's campaign also marks the 20th anniversary of the world's first farm assurance scheme which was started in Scotland in November 1990.

Cameron, host of yesterday's visit by the First Minister, was also one of the original members of Scotland's Farm Assurance Scheme which pioneered the guarantees of welfare and provenance behind Scotch lamb, Scotch beef and specially selected pork.

Salmond said he wanted to make Scotch lamb synonymous with St Andrew's Day in the same way that haggis is with a Burns supper.

Scotch lamb is also the main course ingredient in a special St Andrew's Day menu devised by two Michelin star chef Andrew Fairlie and rural secretary Richard Lochhead.

Also on his farm visit, where he took part in a demonstration on the electronic identification of sheep, the First Minister announced another 1 million of government money going into the scheme bringing the total public spend on this issue up to 5m.

The Scottish Government, working in partnership with industry, has produced a simplified system to electronically identify all animals - a move which will help reduce bureaucracy and keep trade efficient.The additional 1m announced yesterday will further develop and extend the ScotEID database, reporting systems from farms and recording systems that operate at marts, abattoirs and ferry terminals.

Much though these two initiatives were welcomed by Cameron and the large crowd of industry leaders at Balbuthie, the host could not held himself back from pointing out to the First Minister that the current inspection regime relating to single farm payments was being carried out in such a rigorous manner by civil servants that there was a danger of a breakdown in the Scottish Government/farming industry relationship.

The First Minister responded by pointing out the importance for farmers to get their paperwork correct.