The €1.2m fund from the EU will see Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) Scotch beef and lamb promoted across Denmark, Belgium, Germany, Netherlands and Sweden.

Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) will use the grant to fund design, production of point of sale material, distribution of point of sale material, advertisement and events/public relations. This is the fourth time QMS has partnered with the European Union to promote Scotch beef and lamb.

“The key to unlocking this European funding is the Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status we have for Scotch Beef and Scotch Lamb and the quality standards set out in our assurance schemes are essential for us to maintain that PGI status," said Uel Morton, Chief Executive of Quality Meat Scotland.

“It is important that our industry is aware of this additional value quality assurance brings and continues to support us with our on-going recruitment campaign to encourage farmers who are not members of our quality assurance schemes to understand their importance to the future of our industry.”

PGI status

Since 1992, the European Union has developed the PGI scheme to protect products with a strong link to the areas they are produced.

Wales has a PGI for lamb and the South West of England has a PGI for beef, obtained last year. Product of Geographical Indication (PGI) is can be applied for to the EU by an organisation that represents a particular agricultural sector in a country or region but usually cannot be a country as such. Scotland and Wales are both considered regions of the UK.

The product is expected to have characteristics associated with an area that make it unique. Obviously there is a degree of artistic license to this, but it can be achieved through tradition. Its benefit is that it allows levy bodies in a country to comply with state aid requirements when referring to a geographical region in promotion literature.