Scottish farming leader Kate Rowell wins national agriculture award

One of Scotland’s most prominent farming voices has been recognised at the 2026 National Women in Agriculture Awards after years spent championing the country’s red meat sector and rural communities.

Quality Meat Scotland chair Kate Rowell was named Ambassador of the Year at the awards ceremony, held at the De Vere Grand Connaught Rooms in London on 5 May.

The awards celebrate women helping shape the future of UK agriculture through leadership, advocacy, sustainability and rural business development.

Rowell was recognised for her long-standing work promoting Scottish livestock farming and representing the interests of farmers, crofters and the wider red meat supply chain at national level.

She has chaired QMS since 2018 and has become one of the sector’s most influential voices on agricultural policy, sustainability and food production.

Among her most high-profile roles, Rowell played a leading part in the “Meating Our Potential” campaign led by the Scottish Red Meat Resilience Group, which pushed back against proposals to reduce livestock numbers in Scotland.

The campaign helped persuade the Scottish Government to reject Climate Change Committee recommendations that would have reduced livestock numbers and, industry leaders argued, damaged rural economies and food production.

Rowell has also served on the Scottish Government’s Agriculture Reform Implementation Oversight Board and previously represented agriculture on Scotland’s first Just Transition Commission, which focused on supporting the move towards a lower-carbon economy.

Ahead of the Holyrood election, she also supported a series of political engagement events bringing MPs, MSPs and councillors onto farms and into industry facilities across Scotland.

Under Rowell’s leadership, QMS has developed a five-year strategy focused on strengthening Scotland’s reputation as “The Choice for Premium Red Meat”, with an emphasis on sustainability, provenance and supporting farmers and rural businesses.

Rowell said the award reflected the work of the wider agricultural industry rather than her own efforts alone.

“I am absolutely delighted and humbled to receive the Ambassador of the Year award,” she said.

She said the recognition reflected the collective efforts of people across Scottish agriculture who were “committed to ongoing improvement and securing a positive future for the sector”.

“I am proud to play a role in championing an industry that contributes so much to our economy, environment and rural communities,” she added.

Other Scottish winners on the night included Caroline Millar of Scottish Agritourism, who was named Trade Organisation Woman of the Year, and Cora Cooper of Cooper Farms, who won Sustainability Champion of the Year.