Hansard

It is a long time since I have spoken in a debate involving food and farming issues. In fact, my background as a rabid, running-dog capitalist dairy farmer in the 1980s and 1990s left me in a position where some of my views on food markets and their regulation may not be entirely popular with other members of the Parliament or of the farming industry. Let us brush over that, however, and start to consider where we are today and what we need to say about Scotland’s food production and the quality that it can provide.

As we have discovered, ministers come and go in the Parliament under various Governments but, amazingly, in the field of agriculture and environment, we have had only two ministers in the entire history of the Parliament. One was Ross Finnie, who quickly established a reputation for himself as someone who understood what was going on in the rural economy and the farming industry. Subsequently, following the change of Government, the arrival of Richard Lochhead delivered a young man with a certain past reputation, but one who was well able to establish himself as a spokesman for Scotland’s food and farming industry both at home and abroad.

It is important that we recognise the contribution that the Parliament has made and the responsible view that successive ministers, and indeed spokesmen from other parties, have taken in ensuring that we do all that we can to promote the food and farming industry to the best of our ability. However, that is occasionally challenged. The recent problem associated with the contamination of beef supplies with horsemeat has served to focus our industry. In this country, we have a tremendous record as exporters of high-quality food and produce. The minister mentioned the whisky industry, and I am now aware of a new fact: exports amount to 40 bottles a second, which is an extraordinary sum and is despite the fact that Jamie McGrigor and I are working as hard as we can to keep as much of it at home as possible.

The issue of how we exploit our produce should and does remain a concern at Government level and at party level. My party has had a number of eat local campaigns, not least the one that was sponsored by John Scott, the gentleman who is now occupying the chair, during his time as party spokesman on food and farming. He promoted the eat local campaign, on which we worked very hard. The Government has pursued similar projects, and the think local project is a key element of policy.

We must never forget—I remind certain members who have already spoken in the debate—that the global influence of Scottish food and produce is equally important. Scottish farmers currently enjoy a higher price for their product because it has a quality and a reputation, and it can therefore command a premium in international markets. Even in areas in which we do not sell directly into commodity markets across the world, prices for commodities such as grain are higher in Scotland today because of markets being influenced by countries such as China. The global commodity market, regardless of whether we sell into it, has a key role in determining high or reasonable prices for Scottish product.

That must be balanced against the need for affordability. Just a few days ago, a story appeared in the Aberdeen Press and Journal relating to information that had become available about the cost of preparing a school meal. I understand that Aberdeenshire Council disputes the figures that were used, but the suggestion was made that a school meal in Aberdeenshire costs £1.68 to prepare and present. In this day and age, with prices as they are, I have serious concerns about how a meal can be prepared for £1.68. I will pursue that matter with Aberdeenshire Council. The question remains: can it be done and can it be done legitimately? My concerns remain.

However, the issue of horsemeat and its inclusion in beef products in this country does not require us to take radical or excessive action in terms of regulation. I doubt that more regulation is required. Regulation is already very strong and has been very effective in keeping high-quality produce in the marketplace and on our supermarket shelves here in Scotland. The problem is not the regulation itself but the failure to enforce and police existing regulation properly.

The problem that we face with the horsemeat scandal is one of criminality, whereby produce has been moving across borders unregulated and included in products that have come to this country but which should have been properly policed in their country of origin or country of production. Therefore, the effective implementation of regulation is more important than simply throwing the baby out with the bath water.

It concerns me that in debates in the chamber opportunities continue to be taken to talk down the quality of Scottish produce and food. Sadly, I find it repetitive that the Green party seems to think that this is another opportunity to do that.