Investment needed to halt 'worrying decline' in beef cattle numbers

Analysis from Quality Meat Scotland has revealed the UK may need to import 124,000 tonnes of beef to fill a projected 8% drop in production by 2030 if it does not invest in beef production

Chris Brayford

17 May 2025 • 5 min read

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QMS chair Kate Rowell said: "If our production continues to decline, it will intensify adverse knock-on effects across the supply chain from feed, haulage and auctioneers to processors, butchers and retailers, and finally consumers."

Scotland risks losing a cornerstone of its agricultural identity if the Scottish Government does not take immediate action to halt the ‘worrying decline' of beef cattle numbers. Alan Brown, Scottish...

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