Quality Meat Scotland
Quality Meat Scotland is a statutory, levy-funded public body established in 2008 to promote Scotland's red meat sector, managing the Scotch Beef PGI, Scotch Lamb PGI and Prime Scottish Pork brands and running whole-chain assurance schemes for farmers, processors, butchers, restaurants, retailers, schools and consumers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- HeadquartersKirkliston, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Quality Meat Scotland does
Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) is a statutory public body established under the Quality Meat Scotland Order 2008 and headquartered in Edinburgh, Scotland, with responsibility for promoting and protecting Scotland's red meat sector. QMS is funded entirely by a statutory levy collected at the point of slaughter of cattle, sheep and pigs for human consumption, and is not in receipt of Scottish Government grant in aid; the 2026/27 levy rates are £6.34 per cattle head, £0.15 per calf, £0.92 per sheep and £1.45 per pig (split between producer and slaughterer/exporter). It is governed by a Board, is subject to the Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act 2010 and operates with 11-50 employees.
Its core products are the Scotch Beef PGI, Scotch Lamb PGI and Prime Scottish Pork consumer brands, all of which require livestock born, reared and slaughtered in Scotland. Underpinning these brands is an integrated suite of six quality assurance schemes (Cattle & Sheep, Pig, Auction Market & Collection Centre, Haulage, Feeds and Processor), independently assessed by certification partners. Technical components include DNA-based provenance verification, a Meat Eating Quality grading programme, the RamCompare genetic improvement initiative using CT scanning and Estimated Breeding Values, and consumer-facing tools such as the Traceability Checker and Market Prices service. QMS also runs complementary programming including Monitor Farms, the Scotch Butchers Club, the Scotch Beef Club (around 150 member restaurants), the Make It Scotch and 'When You Know, You Know' consumer campaigns, the Meating Our Potential industry support hub, and a Meat Voucher Scheme that has reached over 10,000 pupils and 322 schools.
QMS's customer base spans livestock farmers and processors (who fund it through statutory levies), independent butchers and restaurants (Scotch Butchers Club, Scotch Beef Club), major retailers (Lidl Scotland, Tesco Scotland), educational institutions, and end consumers. Its go-to-market blends marketing-driven consumer campaigns (STV, outdoor, digital audio, social), high-impact agricultural events (Royal Highland Show, Scotsheep), retail co-marketing, and a Community Engagement / Make It Scotch ambassador programme. Distribution of Scotch-branded product occurs via retailers, independent butchers, restaurants and education channels; QMS does not itself sell product.
Quality Meat Scotland firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Quality Meat Scotland
- Legal name
- Quality Meat Scotland
- Website
- https://qmscotland.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Quality Meat Scotland is a statutory, levy-funded public body established in 2008 to promote Scotland's red meat sector, managing the Scotch Beef PGI, Scotch Lamb PGI and Prime Scottish Pork brands and running whole-chain assurance schemes for farmers, processors, butchers, restaurants, retailers, schools and consumers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Quality Meat Scotland industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Red Meat Industry Assurance and Marketing Services
- NAICS
- Animal Slaughtering and Processing (3116)
- SIC
- Meat Packing Plants (2011)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Further Processing (Cooked, Smoked, Cured & Deli Meats) (AFAKALAD)
Keywords
Where Quality Meat Scotland is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Kirkliston
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Quality Meat Scotland business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Statutory Red Meat Levy: QMS is funded by a statutory levy collected at the point of slaughter of cattle, sheep and pigs for human consumption. Levy rates for 2026/27: Cattle £6.34/head (producer £4.84 + slaughterer/exporter £1.50), Calves £0.15/head, Sheep £0.92/head, Pigs £1.45/head.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Red Meat Levy - Cattle |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Red Meat Levy - Calves |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Red Meat Levy - Sheep |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Red Meat Levy - Pigs |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels10 records
Quality Meat Scotland product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Quality Meat Scotland is a statutory public body that operates whole-chain quality assurance schemes and promotes three premium red meat brands (Scotch Beef PGI, Scotch Lamb PGI, Prime Scottish Pork). It is funded by a statutory levy collected at the point of slaughter of cattle, sheep, and pigs for human consumption in Scotland, and provides industry development, market intelligence, and consumer marketing for Scotland's red meat sector.
Product overview
Quality Meat Scotland operates as a public body responsible for promoting, protecting, and developing Scotland's red meat sector. The organisation manages three premium consumer brands—Scotch Beef, Scotch Lamb, and Prime Scottish Pork—which are underpinned by a suite of quality assurance schemes covering the entire supply chain from farm to fork. These assurance schemes include Cattle & Sheep, Pig, Auction Market & Collection Centre, Haulage, Feeds, and Processor schemes, all independently assessed by Food Integrity Assurance. QMS provides complementary services including market intelligence tools (Market Prices, Traceability Checker), educational resources (Farming Foodsteps, Mission Sustain Health, Meat Voucher Scheme), industry development programmes (Monitor Farm Scotland), professional clubs (Scotch Butchers Club, Scotch Beef Club), and consumer marketing campaigns (Make It Scotch, Meating Our Potential).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Scotch Beef: Premium beef brand for livestock born, reared and slaughtered in Scotland
- Scotch Lamb
- Prime Scottish Pork
- Meating Our Potential
- When You Know, You Know
- Scotch Beef Club
- Scotch Butchers Club
- Make It Scotch
Products and services
- Scotch Beef
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 10,000 pupils educated through QMS outreach programmes
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Quality Meat Scotland
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments7 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Quality Meat Scotland technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Quality Meat Scotland partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- NSA Scotland (National Sheep Association Scotland)coreNSA Scotland is co-host of Scotsheep 2026 event and partner in launching sheep-focused industry support campaign. Partnership aims to highlight economic significance of Scotland's sheep sector.
- Scottish Red Meat Resilience GroupcoreJoint partner with QMS and NSA Scotland in spotlighting economic opportunity of Scotland's sheep sector at Scotsheep 2026 and ongoing industry development initiatives.
- Food Integrity Assurance (FIA)coreFIA is the certification body contracted to manage QMS quality assurance schemes and carry out assessments on behalf of QMS. They manage the Cattle & Sheep Assurance Scheme, Pig Assurance Scheme, Auction Market & Collection Centre Scheme, Haulage Assurance Scheme, Feeds Assurance Scheme, and Processor Assurance Scheme.
- AcouraminorAcoura acts as QMS's agents for the administration of the quality assurance schemes, collecting and processing member data.
- SAOS (Scottish Agricultural Organisation Society)coreSAOS appointed as new Certification Body to carry out assessment and certification services of all QMS whole of life, whole of production supply chain Assurance Schemes, transitioning from previous certification bodies.
- NFU Scotland (NFUS)coreCollaborative partner in Beef and Sheep Farming Careers project alongside QMS and Borders College. NFUS contributes skills policy expertise and helps address perceived barriers to hiring apprentices in farming.
- Borders CollegecoreEducation partner delivering agricultural apprenticeship courses with specialisation in Sheep and Cattle Farming. Project showcases work-based learning opportunities and includes sustainability, biodiversity and technology in curriculum.
- AHDB (Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board)coreCollaborated on toolkit 'Having positive conversations about red meat' to positively manage reputation of red meat. AHDB contributes the We Eat Balanced campaign messaging and helps farmers demonstrate British meat's lower carbon footprint.
- HCC (Hybu Cig Cymru - Meat Promotion Wales)minorCollaborated on toolkit alongside AHDB and QMS to promote positive conversations about red meat consumption and sustainable production.
- Lidl ScotlandcoreMajor retail partner for Farm to Fork demonstrations, cook-off events, and High Steaks quiz. QMS presence at Lidl stand during Royal Highland Show with professional rugby player appearances.
- Tesco ScotlandcoreQMS judges and presents QMS Rose Bowl to champion in Kepak McIntosh Donald Best Scotch Steak competition at Tesco stand during Royal Highland Show.
- Scottish SPCAminorScotland's independent animal welfare charity supports and approves QMS assurance schemes. QMS Animal Welfare and Wellbeing Charter recognises five freedoms of animal welfare.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Quality Meat Scotland competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- Bord Bia (Irish Food Board): Irish state agency promoting Irish food, drink, and horticulture exports worldwide, including the Origin Green sustainability programme. Comparable as a state-funded national food marketing and assurance body, but broader in scope (all food) and serving a different geography.
Direct peers
- Hybu Cig Cymru (Meat Promotion Wales / HCC): Welsh statutory body promoting PGI Welsh Beef and PGI Welsh Lamb through levy funding and assurance. Direct peer: same statutory structure, same product categories (beef and lamb), and confirmed existing QMS collaboration partner on the 'positive conversations about red meat' toolkit.
- Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB): UK statutory levy board covering England for beef, lamb, pork, cereals, dairy, potatoes, and horticulture. Closest direct peer: identical levy-funded, assurance-scheme, brand-marketing mandate for the red meat sector across a different home nation.
- Livestock and Meat Commission for Northern Ireland (LMC): Statutory body for Northern Ireland's beef and sheepmeat industry, providing market intelligence, education, and producer communication funded by levy. Direct peer: same statutory-promotional model across another UK home nation with overlapping red meat remit.
Broad incumbents
- Beef + Lamb New Zealand: Farmer-owned industry body investing levy funds in market development, research, and sustainability programmes for NZ red meat. Comparable levy-funded industry-good body, but significantly larger export orientation and scale.
- Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA): Australian producer-funded research and marketing body for the red meat industry, running similar levy-funded R&D, marketing, and traceability programmes. Comparable business model (producer levy) and assurance focus, but operates at much larger scale in a major export market.
Emerging players
- Canadian Beef Cattle Check-Off Agency: National check-off-funded body delivering beef marketing, research, and promotion in Canada. Similar levy-funded marketing model for a national beef industry, but focused on beef only (vs QMS beef, lamb, pork) and operating in a different market.
Others
- NFU Scotland (NFUS): Scottish farming union and confirmed QMS partner on the Beef and Sheep Farming Careers project. Not a marketing/assurance body itself, but a key sector stakeholder and collaborator addressing industry development, skills, and policy.
- Scottish Agricultural Organisation Society (SAOS): Scottish agri-food cooperative body newly appointed as QMS's certification body for all whole-of-life, whole-of-production assurance schemes. Direct operational partner delivering QMS scheme certification, not a competitor but an adjacent enabling organisation.
- Scottish SPCA: Scotland's independent animal welfare charity that approves and supports QMS assurance schemes. Adjacent enabling stakeholder: endorses QMS Animal Welfare and Wellbeing Charter, but does not market meat products itself.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Quality Meat Scotland social profiles
Digital presenceQuality Meat Scotland compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Quality Meat Scotland financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Quality Meat Scotland leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
Quality Meat Scotland funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Quality Meat Scotland M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Quality Meat Scotland
What does Quality Meat Scotland do?
Quality Meat Scotland is a statutory public body that operates whole-chain quality assurance schemes and promotes three premium red meat brands (Scotch Beef PGI, Scotch Lamb PGI, Prime Scottish Pork). It is funded by a statutory levy collected at the point of slaughter of cattle, sheep, and pigs for human consumption in Scotland, and provides industry development, market intelligence, and consumer marketing for Scotland's red meat sector.
Is Quality Meat Scotland a public or private company?
Quality Meat Scotland is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was Quality Meat Scotland founded?
Quality Meat Scotland was founded in -1. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Quality Meat Scotland based?
Quality Meat Scotland is headquartered in Kirkliston, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Quality Meat Scotland make money?
One revenue line is on record: statutory Red Meat Levy.
Who are Quality Meat Scotland's main competitors?
Bord Bia (Irish Food Board) is listed as a regional player. Direct peers are Hybu Cig Cymru (Meat Promotion Wales / HCC), Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) and Livestock and Meat Commission for Northern Ireland (LMC). Broad incumbents are Beef + Lamb New Zealand and Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA). Canadian Beef Cattle Check-Off Agency is listed as an emerging player. Others are NFU Scotland (NFUS), Scottish Agricultural Organisation Society (SAOS) and Scottish SPCA.
Does Quality Meat Scotland have an API?
No public API is recorded for Quality Meat Scotland.
What industry is Quality Meat Scotland in?
Quality Meat Scotland's product category is Red Meat Industry Assurance and Marketing Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAKALAD, Further Processing (Cooked, Smoked, Cured & Deli Meats). Its NAICS code is 3116 and its SIC code is 2011.