(Orkney Islands)
(LD): The minister will be aware of the importance of
Orkney beef and lamb not just to the island’s food and drink
sector but to Scotland’s food and drink sector. She may also be
aware of the damage that the loss of the local abattoir has had
on those high-quality brands. Following the cabinet secretary’s
efforts last year—for which I thank him—will the Scottish
Government’s ministerial team re-engage with the local
council,
NFU Scotland, Orkney Auction Mart Ltd and
others to ensure that every possible option is explored in
securing a long-term future for a local abattoir in Orkney?
The Minister for Rural Affairs and the Natural
Environment (Mairi
Gougeon): Absolutely, and I know that
that work is on-going. The issue of mobile abattoirs was raised
during last week’s statement on improving animal welfare. I know
that projects are being looked at, and some of those have been
funded through the rural innovation support service. I would be
happy to meet the member to discuss the matter further.
(Aberdeenshire East)
(SNP): I share ’s concerns about the
increasing likelihood of our crashing out of the EU on 29
March. Does the minister agree that the absence of a trade
agreement between the UK and the European Union will cause
untold damage not only to food and drink businesses such as
Macduff Shellfish, which is in my constituency, but to the
wider local economy and the prospects of future generations
that rely on the industry?
Mairi Gougeon: Absolutely. Probably nothing
could illustrate the damage of not having a trade deal in place
in a no-deal situation. Scotland Food &
Drink,
NFU Scotland, Quality Meat Scotland,
the Food and Drink Federation Scotland, the Scottish Salmon
Producers Organisation, Scottish Bakers and the Scottish
Agricultural Organisation Society jointly signed a letter in
which they estimate that the cost to our industry of having no
deal would be at least £2 billion in lost sales annually on top
of the short-term chaos resulting from transport delays and
labour shortages.
Our businesses are already bearing
the cost of having no deal, as they are having to spend
millions of pounds and their time to mitigate the potential
disruption. There is no doubt that a no-deal situation would
be absolutely catastrophic for Scotland.
I mentioned that the cabinet
secretary and I met some of those organisations. We also
attended a meeting on Monday with in London, at which the
cabinet secretary outlined that the UK Government needs to
remove a no-deal Brexit as an option, because that would be
catastrophic for Scotland in particular but also for the rest
of the UK. The UK Government needs to stop blackmailing us
with that, firmly remove it from the table so that it is no
longer an option and work to find a solution for the hugely
important food and drink sector in this country.
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