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Beef production is very important for Scotland's economy (economic output of £851 million in 2017) and for providing the high quality and iconic, ‘Scotch Beef’ brand. Feed for livestock represents 70-80% of the variable costs of beef production and an improvement of feed conversion efficiency is needed to keep the beef industry economically viable.
Innovation is one of the three key drivers to achieving Ambition 2030, the industry-led strategy for the future growth of Scotland’s food and drink sector. Ambition 2030 sets a headline target of doubling the economic value of the sector by 2030, doing so responsibly, and recognising that skills and collaboration are vital.
Take a look our visualization of the network of researchers in the Scottish Government’s Strategic Research Programme (SRP) as an illustration of just how complicated things can get! The image shows the complex connections between the researchers involved in the SRP (the bigger the node or circle - the bigger the level of interaction and lines represent linkages).
Food and Drink is a hugely important sector for Scotland and the UK economy, generating a turnover of £14.4 billion and £5.3 billion of GVA (gross value added) for the Scottish economy in 2014 alone. This sector not only has an impact on Scotland’s economy but food production can also has a significant influence on our environment, health and society and these are all areas that SEFARI research aims to a make a difference.
You may be wondering what we can do to help? Well, at the Centre for Sustainable Cropping (CSC) near Dundee, we’re aiming to develop a cropping system that can produce high quality food, whilst still maintaining a healthy environment. This means using what we understand about ecology to work with the environment to improve the health and physical structure of the soil, minimise the losses of nutrients and chemicals from cultivated fields, and support a rich variety of farmland wildlife.
As improving nutritional quality and sustainability can raise production costs, understanding willingness to pay is crucial. This study shows that taste and price are the strongest drivers of UK cheese purchases. Consumers are willing to pay a premium for Scottish cheddar, though a “British” label generates higher perceived value. Sustainability claims, especially “Carbon Neutral”, and nutrition messaging such as “High in Protein”, further increase willingness to pay and strengthen product appeal.
Does producing higher-quality food lead to a price premium in the market? We analysed the impact that a Protected Geographical (PGI) label had on the price and sales of Orkney cheddar, which gained its PGI status in 2013. A PGI label identifies a product as originating in a specific place, region or country, and has a known quality, reputation of other characteristic attributable to that specific location. Using data from 2006–2023, we examined sales and pricing to measure policy impact.
Interviews with key informants in the higher value cheese sector in Scotland revealed that although there was a market for their products, there were multiple barriers to operating their businesses.
If there is one thing that we can all agree on when it comes to sustainable diets it is…well, nothing at all.
That is one of the most striking – and useful – findings of our recent research into what is stopping us changing what we eat to help tackle climate change.
We gave people 43 different statements on the issue to rank according to how much they agreed or disagreed in a way that reflected their personal views.
Mairi Gougeon, the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform, and Islands and SEFARI Gateway are hosting Scotland’s Global Food Security Conference, with the theme ‘Climate Change, Collaboration, and Comparative Advantage’ in Edinburgh, 5th–7th November 2025.
Sorry, this event has already happened. Have a look at our upcoming events.