Meet the Consultant - Quianne Reijnen

I’m Quianne (pronounced key-aah-nah), and I have recently joined the team at SAC Consulting in Stirling as an Agricultural Consultant. I’m Dutch originally but have spent the last 20+ years in Central Scotland, between Fife, Edinburgh and Glasgow.  

I studied at the University of Glasgow, gaining a first in Veterinary Bioscience. It’s best described as “the science behind what the vets do, without learning to operate”, with modules on veterinary anatomy, biology of cancer cells, genetics, pharmacology and ethics. Ultimately it was the unit on agriculture that I loved with a passion and motivated me to pursue a career in the farming industry.   

Following my graduation, I spent time on the Genus Future Leaders Graduate Scheme learning about the world of cattle genetics. Here I learnt about the huge effect of the beef sire’s genetics on the calf’s lifetime profitability, and how National Milk Records (NMR) data can be used to inform if a cow should be bred to a beef or dairy bull. This information was core to a lot of discussions I had on farm when I worked with Genus, and despite no longer working for them, it’s left me convinced genetics has one of the best returns on investments out of all farm expenses. One of the good things about working for Genus, similarly to SAC Consulting, is that no two weeks are the same. As well as gaining an in-depth understanding of how genetics can help improve herds, during the graduate scheme I also spent time working alongside consultants gaining experience in how consultancy supports farmers to become more profitable, efficient and sustainable. I later spent a year within the farm consultancy and sustainability departments before moving into a role as a Farm Sustainability Consultant, working with dairy, beef and sheep clients across Scotland. 

I regularly worked with dairy, beef and sheep clients across Scotland, as well as having a project management role where I advised corporate clients on farm sustainability and managed the rollout of projects across the UK. One of the projects I worked on involved Arla Dairy farmers in Dumfries and Galloway and the Carlisle region where I advised on their carbon footprint and gave advice on how to optimise their results for a better milk price (since Arla attaches a milk-price related incentive to their sustainability KPIs). I was also involved with training advisors, including those in the Netherlands, and a project surrounding the cost of production for dairy beef calves from arrival on farm through to slaughter.   

Since joining SAC Consulting I have helped clients with work relating to ruminants, finance and environmental sustainability. I have been able to continue to develop on my favourite topic areas - financial and environmental sustainability of dairy, beef and sheep farms, which inevitably always leads to technical livestock consultancy. I enjoy getting out on farm gathering data and learning how each farm is run. Data gathered for example for a Whole Farm Plan opens conversations we otherwise never would have had. It’s amazing how I end up speaking about shed design, work-life balance and genetics on a finance or carbon footprint visit!  

I have been involved in the delivery of Scotland’s Farm Advisory Service (FAS) programme running a series of financial management workshops for farmers in Stirling where we looked at financial accounts, cashflows, future planning, and that the net profit is not equivalent to a “new kit fund”! I have also been involved in carbon audits for Whole Farm Plans and collaborated with carbon calculator Agrecalc on corporate sustainability work. 

Each year I take some time off for lambing. I’ve been lambing at the same farm for the past five years now, with my veterinary-adjacent background, making me an invaluable member of the team. Although I’ll be tired, bruised, and have more straw than hair on my head by the end of it, I return every year with a new love of sheep, and motivation to support the students who are there on placement.   

Quianne Reijnen, Agricultural Consultant, Quianne.Reijnen@sac.co.uk

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Posted by SAC Consulting on 11/12/2025