Meeting of the Parliament 17 March 2016
I did not sign the motion, because although I read the report and thought that it was very good, I think that something is missing: it needs a stronger emphasis on where people buy their food every day. People buy their food from the major retailers. We need to take a stronger approach with the major retailers, not just by having better legislation and regulation as in other countries, but by ensuring that the major retailers sell local produce. To my mind, that should be at the centre of everything that we do when we consider food. I very much enjoyed the report, but it does not have enough on that.
I am delighted that Alison Johnstone secured the debate. The “PLENTY” report starts with a statement that begins:
“We have plenty of land in Scotland”.
We do, and because Parliament backed the Scottish Government’s Land Reform (Scotland) Bill yesterday, as Alison Johnstone said, more of our land will be used to grow food. That is really the heart of the issue.
The statement goes on to say that Scotland has “plenty of sea”. We do. Scottish fish are back. I have been saying that for a long time—I worked in the fishing industry for 30 years before I entered Parliament—but now the fish are back in terms of quantity and size, after the fantastic efforts of our fishermen over the past 10 years, and the fantastic efforts of this Parliament, the Scottish Government and the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Food and Environment in backing our fishermen. That is good news.
The statement goes on to say that we also have
“plenty of skilled people”.
It is important to realise that our food industry in Scotland is part of our culture and is a subject of research in our universities, for example. We are able to produce food for export and for local consumption. We have fantastic experts in food production in this country, from farmers and fishermen to scientists and innovators.
I agree with the end of the statement, which says:
“There’s no reason why we shouldn’t have plenty of good food for everyone.”
The solution is always easy: people are always the solution, so we need to talk about people and understand more about food insecurity.
I have met a lot of people in my region, including Dave Simmers, who is the chief executive of Community Food Initiatives North East—CFINE. He has a fantastic organisation that has developed more and more. He used to work for the Cyrenians and has been working in the area for the past 40 years, so he knows the food issues and how they are linked to poverty. CFINE has had its Fruit Mart shop in Peterhead since October last year. Previously, it was in the village of Longside. It also has a charity shop that not only provides local produce but employs 17 people and offers support and employment guidance to adults with learning difficulties. A lot is happening in the countryside and in our cities. We need to welcome that.
Scientists are important. Many members will know Dr Flora Douglas from the University of Aberdeen who often comes to Parliament. She is passionate about what food represents. It is more than food: it is about our culture, our society and how we see ourselves.
On Tuesday night, Rob Gibson MSP hosted the fantastic food for thought event, at which another expert—Shirley Spear, the chair of the Scottish Food Commission—talked about the work and outcomes involved in the school programme. I recommend that members read the Food Commission’s interim report. It is a very interesting read.
We need a different approach. It must involve everybody, including businesses and our food producers. We need to buy local, buy Scottish and trust our farmers, fishermen, food producers and experts. That way, we will ensure that we have plenty of good food of everyone.
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