This year's standards, published yesterday, include for the first time control of ragwort, the potentially poisonous and environmentally ruinous weed.

There is also a hint that tougher action is needed by farmers to control sheep scab, an irritating infection that has become an animal welfare problem.

John Cameron, about to step down after three years as trouble-shooting chairman of Quality Meat Scotland's cattle and sheep quality assurance standards committee, looked to the future.

He said: "I'm confident that the present scheme is meeting requirements with practical and sensible standards. But it is obvious that quality assurance is a necessity for producers and we must look ahead."

Source: scotsman.com