In its 2026 annual report, the Scottish Agricultural Organisation Society (SAOS) has shared updates on its activities as an advocate and service provider for Scotland’s rural co-operative sector.
Against the backdrop of rising prices and conflict in the Middle East, the need for co-operation and working together is greater than ever in the agricultural sector, wrote SAOS chair Rory Christie in his foreword to the report.
“It seems almost unbelievable as we reflect on another year that the list of challenges has grown yet again,” said Christie. “The consequences of the situation in the Middle East have impacted farmers more than most, and while bulk purchasing of fuel and fertiliser ensures co-ops and machinery rings can help members as much as possible, an uncertain future is impacting everyone as returns continue to fall and costs to rise.”
Despite these challenges, SAOS group members have continued to show strong progress, with the report highlighting some success stories from the past year.
One major theme is net zero and environmental sustainability, with SAOS saying it has contributed to several large-scale projects focused on natural capital, biodiversity, and carbon reduction.
This includes work with farmers and the Fife Coast and Countryside Trust to establish a natural capital farmer’s co-operative. The apex also became involved in a number of data-driven projects: including with Scottish and Southern Energy Networks to create agricultural energy requirement forecasts up to 2050, and a commission from NatureScot to complete a Farm Biodiversity Audit Review.
The report also highlighted continued investment in data-driven tools and traceability for the agricultural sector.
Related: New markets, new products: Scotland’s agri co-ops face the future
Launched by SAOS in 2008, ScotEID (Scottish Electronic Identification) continues to be Scotland’s central database for livestock traceability on behalf of the Scottish government and the livestock industry. This year, SAOS expanded ScotEID’s livestock data systems, digital traceability tools and animal health reporting platforms.
This includes the release of the Bluetongue Vaccination recording tool, updates to data reporting for the Rural Payments and Inspection Directorate, and a new way to enable identification of biosecurity ‘pyramids’ in the pig farming sector.
SmartRural also completed a feasibility study into a data management platform which could be used as a basis for farmer-owned data co-ops. According to the report, this platform would support farmer data ownership and trust as well as data sharing.
On top of all this, SAOS finalised development work on the Scottish Quality Langoustine certification scheme and supported a range of assurance schemes, including Quality Meat Scotland, Scottish Quality Crops, and Scotch Lamb and Beef.
Food security and supply chain resilience was also a strategic priority, said SAOS. This year, the apex lled the Scotland Food & Drink Supply Chain Security and Resilience Programme, which produced sector-wide insights, benchmarking exercises and risk assessments in order to provide a clearer understanding of vulnerabilities and opportunities in Scotland’s food supply chains.
The organisation also continued its work of supporting co-operatives across the Scottish agricultural sector. It helped establish a number of new producer groups, advised member businesses on governance and strategic development, and supported collaborative initiatives such as the UK Food and Agriculture Sector Fair Dealing Partnership and the Seed Potato Liaison Group.
It also expanded its market development activity by supporting supply chain projects across the dairy, potato, organic food, hemp and seaweed sectors.
“For over 120 years, SAOS has provided leadership and helped find the way forward, often in challenging times,” said CEO Tim Bailey. “Through our can-do culture, strategic mindset, and extensive co-operative networks, we have been able to support our members and the wider agricultural community to navigate a way through change and crisis.”
