Pack fears devaluation Fragmentation and devaluation of the Scotch Beef brand will result from the tougher livestock eligibility rule to be imposed by Quality Meat Scotland, suggests ANM chief executive Brian Pack. ANM, along with other slaughterers in Scotland, seems sure to be affected adversely because the numbers of qualifying finished cattle will fall sharply. Pack suggests processors might try to maintain throughputs and widen margins on cattle imported from England, Wales or Ireland by launching competitors against the Specially Selected Scotch brand. They would be doing this at a time of severe contraction in the numbers of animals eligible for the existing Scotch brand, due to breeding herd shrinkage and changes to the subsidy system. "The brand will become so niche a lot of folk will have to ignore it," said Pack. {{MEAT }}

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