Meat sector strategy meetings which started on Monday are raising industry wide issues affecting profits for our sheep and beef farmers.

The strategy meetings are being run by accountancy firm Deloitte, and reflect dissatisfaction with the way the industry is heading.

Deloitte Senior Partner Alisdair MacLeod says the meetings are more about highlighting ways to improve rather than pointing out what’s wrong.

"Phase one of the process which is what we’re in now, the key focus is on restoring the sustainable profitability of the red meat sector and halting the loss of land to dairy on one end and forestry at the other."

Mr MacLeod says farmers are responding well to the feedback, and seem keen to find out what’s going on at the top level.

"A lot of the good performing farmers are unashamedly doing it by adopting the best practice, by adopting the available research and the good signs that are already available.

There’s a lot of push for other farmers to copy that behaviour."

Meat Industry Association Chairman Bill Falconer says it’s not just farmers who need to change, but industry leaders, too. 

The meetings are set to run all this week and we’ll keep you up to date with information as it comes to hand.

For a full list of venues and times, click here.