Beef calf scheme support payments should be increased to £250 for every beef calf produced, according to the Scottish Association of Meat Wholesalers (SAMW).
The plea is one of four key policy asks contained within a strategy designed to reverse the decline in livestock numbers.
The strategy, which comes with a plea for government action to be taken immediately rather than after Brexit, has been developed in conjunction with NFU Scotland, the Scottish Beef Association, and National Sheep Association (Scotland).
The other three demands are: a revamp of the upland sheep support scheme; an extension of producer groups to all livestock sectors; and simplifying the Beef Efficiency Scheme.
Ahead of next week’s Royal Highland Show, SAMW president Andy McGowan said: “The latest figures show calf registrations down by another 2% and, if we wait until Brexit and transition is finished, we’ll have lost another 15% of our national livestock output.
“Unfortunately, what we command in quality we sadly lack in quantity, and we can’t go on merely celebrating the dying embers of our industry as each year passes.”
A Scottish Government spokesman said: “The proposals which SAMW have brought forward, like those of NFUS and others, deserve very serious consideration.
“We will invite the group which will be appointed shortly to consider these proposals as part of its work, and liaise with all relevant stakeholders.”
