Hansard

I, too, am glad to take part in the Scottish Government’s debate on food policy, not least because food production is an important part of the economy of Dumfries and Galloway and because the link between tourism and local produce is increasingly being realised. Dumfries and Galloway produces a fifth of Scotland’s beef cattle and a sixth of our sheep. Our mild and—admittedly—somewhat damp climate is greatly suited to rearing high-quality livestock.

The cabinet secretary mentioned savour the flavours—a project that is partly funded by the Scottish Government and the European Community through the LEADER 2007 to 2013 programme. I and others who represent Dumfries and Galloway have spoken in debates about its success and I make no apologies for doing so again.

Savour the flavours supports Dumfries and Galloway’s food and drink industry through working with producers, chefs, manufacturers, farmers markets, events organisers, schools and consumers to raise awareness of local produce. Dave Smith, who runs the Buccleuch Arms hotel in Moffat, revived the organisation in 2009. Since then, Dave, his project manager Liz Ramsay and the savour the flavours committee have facilitated events, festivals and work with young people to promote the region’s fine produce. Savour the flavours is in its last year of LEADER funding and I hope that further funding can be identified to support this worthwhile project—that is a bit of a hint, cabinet secretary.

The horsemeat issue has presented an opportunity to our local producers, retailers and outlets to promote their products. Savour the flavours issued a press release last week launching its “Neigh horse meat here” information campaign and I was one of the politicians from across the different parties who supported its Twitter campaign to commit to purchasing locally produced meat.

That commitment was not difficult for me because I already purchase locally produced meat. I live within walking distance of a busy farm and farm shop where I can purchase free-range beef, pork and lamb that is reared on the premises. Indeed, if I wished, I could undertake a farm tour to visit the belted Galloways, blackface sheep and spotted pigs that I might consume at some point in the future. I have no need to fear that any equine has found its way into my mince or sausages and I can be sure of the quality of the food that I am buying. The products are around the same price as the products that I would buy in a supermarket.

I sound a note of caution on that point about prices, because I would be buying the top-of-the-range products in the supermarket, too. I can afford it on an MSP’s salary and my husband and I like food and we like cooking, so we are happy to pay the premium in order to get the best. However, not everyone has the luxury of being able to afford to do that. During the horsemeat scandal and during discussions about the research that was published last week on the health risks of consuming too much processed meat, some commentators have seemed to blame the poor for the food choices that they are forced to make, for the deceit that has been perpetrated by some parts of the international food supply chain, and indeed for the consequences for their own health.

I can peruse the range of top-quality products that are offered by my local producer or by my supermarket, but that is not true of all my constituents. What about the family that is about to be hit by the bedroom tax next month, the disabled person who has lost the disability living allowance and has not been transferred to the personal independence payment, or the working parent who has lost their tax credits due to rule changes that disallow those who work fewer than 27 hours a week?

The Scottish Government’s 2009 national food and drink policy quoted figures from some years ago—from 2005-06—that indicated that the poorest decile of UK households spent 15 per cent of their income on food and non-alcoholic beverages and that the second poorest decile spent 17 per cent of their income on those items. I can only imagine that the proportion of their income that is spent on those items by such households today is significantly higher.

The other criticism that is levelled at consumers concerns the use of convenience foods and pre-prepared meals. I heard a rather posh-sounding older man on the radio the other day who made me shout at the radio—he said, “Young women nowadays don’t know how to cook!” I do not understand why it is the responsibility of women to cook. Also, people use convenience foods because they are time poor and sometimes because they are cash poor. Home cooking can be perceived as time consuming, expensive and difficult. That perception is reinforced by many of the television cookery programmes and competitions, in which ingredients are expensive, recipes are complex and the presentation is a work of art.