Hansard

I congratulate Claire Baker on securing the debate, which has been fascinating, with interesting and well put together speeches from colleagues across the chamber. The details on nutrition, in particular, were fascinating.

Can any of us imagine haggis and neeps without the mashed tatties, Sunday lunch or dinner without the crisp roasties, or battered fish without the chips—irrespective of the requirements and standards that Dr Simpson highlighted? My personal favourite is the baked potato—can any of us imagine life without those? I could go on with a long list of the many dishes that can be accompanied by what some might call the humble spud, but which, as we have gathered today, can be recategorised as the glorious, versatile potato. Whether fresh or processed, boiled, mashed, baked, fried or crisped, most of us love them in at least one form or another.

Angus MacDonald is a particular expert on potato varieties. I will ensure that the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment is made aware of that for future reference.

I thank Claire Baker for raising a debate on one of Scotland’s most important crops. As she said, in September 2013 she hosted a round-table event at the Scottish Parliament on tackling tattie targets, which covered many of the issues raised in the motion.

We have a long history of quality food production, particularly of potatoes. The value of the Scottish seed crop alone is approaching, as members have said, £100 million. With more than 11,000 hectares grown in 2013, potatoes from Scotland represent 75 per cent of total UK production. I think that I heard someone mention a figure of 80 per cent, but I hope that we are in agreement that, whatever the figure, it is a very significant share of UK production. We also grow between 16,000 and 18,000 hectares of ware—or eating—potatoes a year.

The total output value of Scottish ware potatoes has doubled from £92 million in 2009 to £188 million in 2013, largely due to a strong increase in price, to which members have referred. Collectively, the value of the Scottish potato sector is £287 million. That represents 9 per cent of Scotland’s total agricultural output, so it is a very significant crop for our agricultural sector. If we add to that the fact that Scottish seed potatoes underpin potato production right across these islands, which is worth an estimated £4 billion a year, that confirms the importance of the Scottish potato and why it should be celebrated and valued.

Scotland has many natural advantages for potato production, including the Scottish climate. Our cool summers can be a distinct advantage in limiting virus pressure on Scottish potato crops. That is allied to Scotland’s freedom from serious potato quarantine pests like brown rot and ring rot. I am aware that the James Hutton Institute is looking at the impact of climate change on potato production and I look forward to its research.

The freedom from those pests does not happen by chance: it is the result of strong collaboration among growers, the Potato Council and the Scottish Government to ensure that a range of voluntary and statutory measures are in place to maintain and build on our world-wide high-health reputation. That includes the Scottish Government undertaking soil, tuber and water surveillance to monitor for quarantine pests and diseases. We are—rightly—proud of our high-health status, but we cannot rest on our laurels.

Plant health is the root of Scotland’s thriving rural economy, which is why, on 18 March, I announced the development of a new Scottish plant health strategy at a workshop with stakeholders. The strategy will be hugely beneficial in helping us tackle the increasing challenges of new pests and diseases that may affect production.

Strong collaboration with all interested parties is vital in protecting our plant health. The Scottish Government works in partnership with the potato industry and the Potato Council to ensure that we have robust measures in place to build on our advantages. We fund potato-related research in Scotland to the value of around £4 million a year and we liaise closely with the Potato Council on that to complement its input and efforts.

Scottish potatoes are consistently successful in the European and international markets. Angus MacDonald and other members mentioned the Egypt market; I think that 49 per cent of our total exports outside the EU go there. Over the current export season, Scottish exporters sent 77,000 tonnes to more than 20 different countries outside the European Union. It has been another very good year for our exporters. Again, that is the result of strong collaboration between our exporters, the Potato Council and the Scottish Government working in tandem to nurture existing markets and to develop new ones.

The Scottish spud plays a vital role in the success story that is Scotland’s food and drink industry. Since 2008, our food and drink sector has experienced the strongest growth in turnover—it stands at 14 per cent—of all growth sectors in Scotland.

As Claire Baker noted in her motion, the consumption of fresh potatoes has been in decline and dropped by about 25 per cent over the past decade. Consumption of processed potatoes also declined over the same period, by about 13 per cent. As members said, the reason for the decline is unclear, but the decrease appears to be greater in more affluent societal groups, which suggests some form of cultural shift.

Potato prices might also be a factor. As a number of members said, they rose by almost 30 per cent between 2007 and 2012. That increase is close to the average rise in food prices, but it is higher than the price increases for fruit and vegetables in the same period. Research shows that consumer reaction in the UK to price increases has been to buy fewer and cheaper potatoes rather than pay more.

The long-term decline in consumption is a concern and I commend the Potato Council, which has a key role in promoting the sector, and members for raising that issue. The Government consistently recommends and promotes potatoes as an excellent source of starchy carbohydrates. For example, we do that through advice to retailers on product placement through the healthy living programme; the Food Standards Agency Scotland’s eat well plate; and the supporting healthy choices guidance, which is due to be published at the end of June.

If a key message has come out of the debate from all members, whom I commend for the detail in which they have described it, it is about nutrition. We have the problem that potatoes are not perceived to be as nutritious as we know that they are. Claire Baker, Mary Scanlon, Richard Simpson and Angus MacDonald all talked about the qualities of potatoes and I will not repeat those points. Most people are not eating enough such food, so increasing our consumption of potatoes is an ideal way of achieving our health targets.

To reflect what Angus MacDonald said, it is important that Scotland’s population are in a position to make informed decisions on what they eat. The variety of potatoes that he described was a surprise to me; I had not appreciated that breadth.

The Scottish Government published revised dietary targets in May 2013, following a review by the Food Standards Agency Scotland. Those targets concern the population-wide shift that is required to improve Scotland’s dietary health, which includes the intake of starchy foods.

Richard Simpson made a fair point about the way in which potatoes are cooked as chips. I was not aware of the diverse techniques for cooking chips and the effect on the fat content. I will raise that point with my colleagues and see whether we can do anything on it.

Food education is high on the Government’s agenda. For example, we have invested £3 million over 2010 to 2015 in teaching our young people about the journey from farm to fork. Initiatives such as the Potato Council’s grow your own potatoes programme for primary school children are invaluable in teaching our future generations of consumers about where potatoes come from and how they can be used in diets at home. Perhaps more messaging about the nutritional value of potatoes and guidance on how to cook them could be built into that, to maximise the health benefits.

I am delighted that the grow your own potatoes programme is celebrating its 10th year. Many schools across Scotland grow their own potatoes, which teaches pupils about the role that potatoes can play in a healthy, balanced diet. That fantastic project complements other food education initiatives that the Scottish Government funds, and I hope that it will continue to engage with young people across the country for years to come.

I commend Claire Baker for her motion and I commend all members for their speeches, which were constructive and positive about the industry. I am pleased to have had the opportunity to celebrate the success of our Scottish spuds past, present and future with everyone who is here.