Meeting of the Parliament 27 January 2026 [Draft]
In beginning what will be, I think, 10 hours or so in the chamber, I remind members of my entry in the register of members’ interests.
As I set out at stage 2, Scotland’s future food security relies on getting the right careful balance. We must ensure that domestic supply can meet demand and that we do not drift into an overreliance on imported food. The vulnerability of our current position was underlined last year by the Scottish Association of Meat Wholesalers, which warned that beef supplies had reached a critical point. Quality Meat Scotland has also been clear that meeting future demand will require more cows and not fewer, estimating that Scotland needs around 80,000 additional animals.
My amendment 63 would strengthen the bill by requiring ministers, when setting targets under section 1, to have proper regard to the importance of local food production and domestic food security. It would place a clear duty on ministers to support local food producers and to consider the impacts of targets on Scotland’s future ability to produce food. Importantly, the amendment would help to ensure that environmental targets do not result in a decline in beef and dairy herd numbers or create incentives that encourage a reduction in red meat and dairy consumption.
In an increasingly uncertain world, I cannot overstate the importance of protecting Scotland’s food producers. Ensuring that our country can feed itself is not optional—it is a core responsibility of any Government.