Meeting of the Parliament 02 October 2014
I agree with the member on her point about restaurants. I encourage anyone who buys the catch of the day to ask where the fish comes from. People would be surprised—sometimes what is called the catch of the day comes from the other side of the world, but the catch of the day cannot come from the other side of the world. It is important for consumers to know exactly where their food comes from.
At the same time as we had the horsemeat scandal, in Aberdeen the local authority stopped the export of seafood because of a wrong label. The contents of the seafood boxes were not different from what the label said; the shipment was stopped because the label was not seen to follow all the EU rules and regulations. I worked in the food industry for 30 years and, believe me, labelling is a nightmare, because the rules and regulations change all the time.
We sometimes have to ask ourselves who is directing such things. People in the food and drink industry have to know what the rules are—that is very important. In that case, there was nothing wrong with the product, and the name was clearly on the label, but the i’s were not dotted and the t’s were not crossed to the liking of the local authority, which had no idea of the existing food labelling laws.
Claire Baker mentioned funding, which is an important point, as some local authorities are perhaps not prioritising spending in that area. There must be a better way of enforcing legislation.
The committee’s report points out that
“few witnesses questioned the creation of the new food body and instead sought assurances about its working practices.”
NFU Scotland was very supportive of the Scottish Government’s intention to bring back powers to Scotland. There is a lot that I like in NFU Scotland’s list of recommendations, such as its suggested changes to sections 2.3 and 15.1 of the bill. Food standards Scotland must be both transparent and objective in the way that it goes about its business, and we all expect better consultation, co-operation and co-ordination and recording of the decisions that are made in moving services from south of the border.
Leadership in co-ordinating relevant laws and regulations must be taken by the new food standards Scotland agency. It is partly a lack of leadership that has brought us to where we are. We must ensure that the bill supports Scottish producers, and we must not forget what makes our food industry in Scotland: first, the producer; secondly, the retailer; and, most important, the consumer.
I disagree with the view of Mr Morton from Quality Meat Scotland that
“the retailer is a soft target”.—[Official Report, Health and Sport Committee, 17 June 2014; c 5680.]
In fact, the retailer is the right person to target if we want consumers to have confidence when they purchase food, whether it comes from abroad or from Scotland.
I was very impressed during the committee’s visit to a seafood producer base in Aberdeen. I know Michael Robertson, the managing director, very well. All those in the seafood sector share a concern about the possibility of increasing costs associated with the bill. We need reassurance from the minister today that having a system in Scotland that is different from that in the rest of the UK does not automatically mean higher food costs. Scotland does not operate in a vacuum at home or abroad, and our Scottish producers must be able to compete.
New labelling and regulations in Scotland must be accepted in the rest of the UK and in the EU if they are to be enforced. They need to be clear and transparent. I agree with Michael Robertson that there must be some discussion about inspections, because local authorities’ inspections are not of a high standard. I want to move away from having retailers dictating to Scottish producers, which is what happens just now in the food industry. I ask food standards Scotland to show leadership with regard to major retailers on that point.
Some members of the committee noted that they hoped that food standards Scotland would exercise its powers in a professional and appropriate way that would protect the prospect of sustainable growth generated by the industry. I would like that sentiment to be more than hope—I would like the bill, when it is passed, to be a guarantor of a system that will grow our food and drink industry.
I have been very much encouraged by the support that has been received from food producers in Scotland; they recognise that the Scottish Government is moving in the right direction. Let us have a food standards agency in Scotland that is fit for our fantastic food and drink sector and fit for the 21st century.