Public appointment: Chair and Members reappointed to the Quality Meat Scotland Board

The Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands, announced the reappointment of Kate Rowell as Chair of the Board of Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) and Anna Irvine and Andy McGowan as Members of the Board.

Chair and Members

Kate Rowell is a fifth generation sheep and suckler cow farmer from a hill and upland farm near Peebles in the Scottish Borders.  She trained at the Royal Dick Vet School and graduated as a veterinary surgeon in 1995.  In 2005, along with her husband, took over the farming business from her parents.  She is a member of the Scottish Government’s Agriculture Reform Implementation Oversight Board and was a member of the Scottish Government Just Transition Commission.  She is also a member of the new Trade and Agriculture Commission reporting to the UK Department for International Trade on upcoming Free Trade Agreements.  She is a past President of Peeblesshire Agricultural Society and has been involved in planning the local Agricultural Show for many years.

Anna Irvine was brought up on a mixed farm in Northern Ireland.  For the past 25 years she has been farming beef and sheep with her husband in North East Scotland.  Her professional career spans 30 years in local government and further and higher education at an executive level.  She is a Member of the Board of Highlands and Islands, Perth College and has extensive experience in audit, risk and financial management.  She has a Masters in Further and Higher Education Management.

Andy McGowan is the Managing Director of Scottish Pig Producers (SPP), a cooperative that markets pigs for farmers in Scotland and Northern Ireland.  He is also a Board member of several other organisations involved in the development of food and farming in Scotland.  Before joining SPP, he worked for companies involved with genetics, biotechnology and livestock production, including as Head of Industry Development at Quality Meat Scotland.

Reappointments

The reappointments will be for four years and run from 1 October 2022 until 30 September 2026.

The reappointments are regulated by the Ethical Standards Commissioner.

Remuneration and time commitment

The Chair receives £345.32 per day for a time commitment of 104 days per year.  Members receive £187.36 per day for a time commitment of 10 days per year.

Other ministerial appointments

Mrs Rowell is a Member of the Trade and Agriculture Commission reporting to the UK Department for International Trade.  She receives £200 per day for a time commitment of 20 days per year.

Mrs Irvine and Mr McGowan do not hold any other public appointments.

Political activity

All appointments are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process.  However, in accordance with the original Nolan recommendations, there is a requirement for appointees’ political activity within the last five years (if there is any to be declared) to be made public.

Mrs Rowell, Mrs Irvine and Mr McGowan have had no political activity within the last five years.

Background

QMS is the public body responsible for helping the Scottish red meat sector improve its efficiency and profitability, and maximise its contribution to Scotland's economy.  It markets the PGI labelled Scotch Beef and Scotch Lamb brands in the UK and abroad and promotes Scottish pork products under the Specially Selected Pork Banner.

Its internationally recognised assurance schemes cover more than 90% of livestock farmed for red meat in Scotland.  They offer consumers in the UK and overseas the legal guarantee that the meat they buy has come from animals that have spent their whole lives being raised to some of the world’s strictest welfare standards.

Scotland’s beef, lamb and pork producers make an important contribution to the country’s rural economy, contributing over £2.1 billion to the annual GDP of Scotland and supporting around 50,000 jobs in the farming, agricultural supply and processing sectors.