Hansard

Good morning again, and thank you for inviting me to speak about the Sheep Carcase (Classification and Price Reporting) (Scotland) Regulations 2025. The draft instrument seeks to introduce mandatory sheep carcase classification and price reporting for abattoirs that process above the threshold of 500 sheep per week on a rolling annual average.

The regulations will align sheep with cattle and pigs as well as aligning with EU regulations, including the use of the EUROP grid, which is the system that licensed classifiers use to grade carcases and which underpins payments to farmers. The regulations have been drafted in response to an industry review, and subsequent consultation has shown that producers and processors are supportive of the move to align sheep classification rules with those for beef and pigs.

I want there to be a more transparent, productive and efficient sheep market, and these regulations will ensure that farmers are paid a fair price that is based on the quality of their sheep, with prices reported and made publicly available. The standardisation of classification rules will then help producers to rear lambs that will fit market specifications and consumer demand.

Many plants across the United Kingdom, including those that are likely to meet the threshold figure in Scotland, already carry out sheep classification on a voluntary basis. The regulations will therefore result in little or no cost to business, and the licensing of classifiers by Government inspectors is free of charge.

The dates on which regulations will come into force across the UK are aligned, with the exception of the date for the regulations for Northern Ireland, which will commence one month later. The main point that was highlighted in responses to the consultation was that, to operate sensibly, the system must be implemented simultaneously across the UK.

Classification machines are already operating for cattle, and a further aligned date of February 2027 will provide for the introduction of automated classification methods for sheep. In the year leading up to February 2027, data will be collected from a large sample, to support the formula or algorithms that will be used in setting up any new automated grading equipment before the technology is then authorised for use.

The regulations also mean that any infringements will lead to enforcement procedures. Scottish Government meat and livestock inspectors will carry out unannounced inspections on behalf of the Scottish ministers, record their findings and operate a risk-based approach. Although operators will be supported in relation to classification, reporting and the required presentation specifications, any operator that is found to have committed an offence will ultimately be liable for a fine, as is laid out in the regulations.

I hope that those remarks are helpful in setting out the rationale for the instrument. I am happy to answer any questions that members may have.