A CURE may have been found for the 'long-running sore' of what happens to the red meat levies collected on Scottish animals that have been transported south of the border for slaughter.

After years of niggling tension over the £2million or so cash 'lost' by Scotland's red meat sector every year, an amendment has now been added to the Agriculture Bill on the table at Westminster to create a mechanism for levies collected in one administrative area of the UK to be transferred and spent in another.

The amendment, lodged by Defra minister George Eustice, more or less replicates an earlier amendment proposed by the SNP's Westminster agri-spokesperson Deirdre Brock. If passed by parliament, it should mean millions of extra funding for marketing, promoting and supporting the Scottish quality meat sector.

Ms Brock commented: “I am delighted that common sense has won and that the Tory government has finally bowed to pressure from the SNP and Scotland’s farmers, righting a wrong that has seen money that should have been promoting Scottish products spent elsewhere. The red meat levy is paid by farmers to help promote the meat they produce and Scotland’s farmers have seen their money going to the AHDB to promote English meat.

“The Radcliffe Review back in 2005 recommended an equitable distribution of levies and the levy boards themselves recommended changes three years ago – it’s long past time Scotland’s quality meat got a fair deal. The hard work of Quality Meat Scotland and the National Farmers Union Scotland have done in campaigning for this change has finally paid off and I pay tribute to their stamina and determination."

Speaking from Holyrood, rural economy secretary Fergus Ewing said: “I am delighted at long last to secure an agreement to repatriate the red meat levy, which will undoubtedly benefit our livestock industry. It is only right that the levy bodies have the ability to repatriate levy monies across borders and I congratulate the industry – and especially QMS – on their tireless efforts in persuading the UK Government on the need to deliver this change.”

QMS chief executive Alan Clarke welcomed the amendment to the Agriculture Bill: “If adopted, it would allow QMS to use levy, collected from Scottish livestock slaughtered elsewhere in GB, for the benefit of Scottish producers, rather than retained by the levy body in the country of slaughter.

“The move would not prevent QMS from contributing levy funding towards collaborative projects with AHDB and HCC which would benefit producers in all three countries," he stressed.

NFU Scotland president Andrew McCornick added: “The announced cross party support for the amendment to the Red Meat Levy section of the Agriculture Bill is excellent news for NFUS members and a win for our lobbying. An amendment to the Agriculture Bill on this issue, when passed in Parliament, will deliver the right framework to address the current issues with Red Meat Levy repatriation in Scotland.

“The issue of red meat levy repatriation is a long-running sore for the industry. Scottish farmers want flexibility in whether our levy is spent in Scotland or in the UK for industry activities.”