Scotch lamb celebrated globally on St Andrew’s Day
Scotch Lamb Honored Worldwide On St Andrew's Day
This blog was published on December 1, 2023.
QMS provided assistance for a COP28 dinner featuring Scotch lamb, organized by the National Sheep Association (NSA) in honor of a St Andrew's Day promotion in Scotland.
At a special dinner event hosted by Scottish Development International (SDI) and with the help of QMS, guests had the pleasure of enjoying lamb dishes provided by Woodhead Brothers in Aberdeenshire. This local processor has gained recognition for being the first in Scotland to obtain accreditation to supply the Middle Eastern market.
The Scottish leader Humza Yousaf was one of the representatives who was given a serving of Scotch lamb in Dubai to honor St Andrew's Day.
The Lamb for St Andrew's Day project was created by George Purves, an auctioneer, and Willie Mitchell, a sheep farmer, during their participation in the Scottish Enterprise Rural Leadership Programme. Its purpose is to increase the consumption of lamb by establishing a connection between it and St Andrew's Day, similar to how haggis is associated with Burn's Night and turkey with Christmas. The initiative has received widespread support from trade organizations and has become a popular tradition, not only among households and St Andrew's Day celebrations, but also in restaurants and secondary schools across Scotland. It was launched in 2010 and has since been expanding steadily.
According to QMS, lamb is widely enjoyed in the Middle East. The sheep meat production levels of six Gulf Co-operation Countries – Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and UAE – only satisfy 66% of their consumption levels. This means that the Scottish sheep industry could potentially profit greatly from this new market. The Middle East has been importing an average of £571 million worth of sheep meat annually in recent years.
The Secretary for Rural Affairs, Mairi Gougeon, expressed her satisfaction with being a part of the Lamb for St Andrew's Day campaign for this year. She stated that the campaign could effectively exhibit the finest products of sheep producers as Scotch lamb would be served on the tables of decision-makers from Dubai to Paris.
The top-notch Scottish lamb is very popular among customers and I am confident that the campaign this year will spread this message around the world and increase its appeal.
Tom Gibson, who handles business development at QMS, pointed out that this could be a game-changer in the field of exports. "Our team at QMS is focused on exploring new avenues for our range of products to expand the export market and cater to a wider audience," he stated. Until recently, Middle East remained an unexplored territory for us. It is indeed stimulating to learn that we can now tap into this market with the help of Woodhead Brothers, and expect to supply a noteworthy amount of lamb to a hitherto untouched region."
Teaming up with countries that can't produce everything they need on their own is a great way to form a mutually beneficial partnership. Processors are the key to taking advantage of these global opportunities by meeting consumer needs and actually delivering the desired product.
The gathering in Dubai, occurring prior to the global discussion on the environment, presents an exceptional opportunity to refresh the memories of those in authority about the flavor of Scotch lamb. It is crucially important to also highlight Scotland's narrative as the most ecologically balanced region for its production.
According to QMS, Myton Food Group's Woodhead Brothers, located in Turriff, is the second largest lamb processor in Scotland. Together with other processing sites of Woodhead Bros, they handle about 8000 lambs and more than 2500 cattle weekly.
According to Scott Bradley, the trading manager at Woodhead Brothers, trading with Dubai shows that Scotland can export high-quality lamb and may lead to opportunities in other Gulf countries. He believes that it is crucial for the company to continually seek out new opportunities as consumer preferences and markets evolve. Bradley is enthusiastic about this venture and sees it as having significant and promising potential.
In the beginning of November, buyers in Dubai tried our products and were very happy with the great taste and high quality of what we offer. Starting now, we will focus on selling mainly to expensive restaurants, places where people go to relax, and tourists. We hope to expand to other countries as people learn more about our products and we improve our shipping methods.
NSA Marks St Andrew's Day From Afar
The National Sheep Association honored the effort by having a feast of Scotch lamb at Carfraemill, Lauder. Roughly 70 sheep farmers were present to commemorate the first Scottish place that processes lamb to halal certified standards. Meanwhile, a group of members gathered thousands of miles away to relish their own meal.
Peter Myles, who is the chair of the NSA Scottish Region, mentioned that if the people who attended the St Andrew's Day feast in Dubai had a great time savoring their Scotch lamb, similar to what they experienced in Lauder, then it's likely they'll keep coming back for more. Nowadays, the number of Muslim consumers who buy lamb is increasing, as well as their purchasing power, which is why we should provide for their needs. If we can create more opportunities for Scotch lamb to be used in different places - including within the country and overseas - it could benefit all the sheep farmers in Scotland.
The NSA Scottish region, QMS, butchers, auctioneers, and others involved in the Scottish sheep industry have put in a lot of effort to promote the idea of Lamb for St Andrew's Day. They've organized fancy events as well as made sure that even kids get to enjoy some Scottish lamb for their school meals. It's really satisfying to see all their hard work paying off and making a significant impact. We need to continue these efforts and feel proud about what we've achieved so far.
