A unique manual offering a step by step account on the forgotten craft of processing 5th quarter products, such as offals and cheeks, has been distributed to Scottish meat processing companies.

The move is part of a £300,000 Scottish Government funded project to rekindle 5th quarter trade in Scotland with the potential to generate an extra £3 million a year for the Scottish red meat industry.

With tup buying time looming, the Scottish Sheep Strategy is offering farmers the opportunity increase their understanding of how using EBVs can help their profitability.

The Quality Meat Scotland funded Scottish Sheep Strategy is holding a series of workshops to help farmers hone their stock selection skills, and show how performance figures can help develop targeted traits within your flock and to help increase your financial returns.

Tracking of prices paid for assured and non assured livestock in Scotland has revealed an average premium of 8p per kilo liveweight for assured cattle for the first six months of 2009, while assured new season lambs secured an extra 2.4p per kilo during May and June.

Quality Meat Scotland, the red meat industry development and promotion body, analyses information drawn from Scottish auction marts to determine the level of the premium on an ongoing basis.

For the six month period from January to June 2009 the Assurance premium was: