Extracts from Scottish Parliament debate on Food and Drink - Sep 13
Friday, 14 September 2018 07:21
The Minister for Rural Affairs and the Natural Environment (Mairi
Gougeon):..I thank Mike Rumbles for giving way. There is an
important point to clarify here. He talks about the BBC
documentary, but does he recognise that the calves that were shown
in it were not Scottish calves? NFUScotland has raised that
point and I would like it to be recognised, because that is not
what was shown on that programme... Emma Harper (South Scotland)
(SNP):I welcome the debate, which takes place during...Request free trial
The Minister for Rural Affairs and the Natural Environment
(Mairi Gougeon):..I thank for giving way. There is an
important point to clarify here. He talks about the BBC
documentary, but does he recognise that the calves that were shown
in it were not Scottish calves? NFUScotland has raised that point and I
would like it to be recognised, because that is not what was shown
on that programme...
(South Scotland) (SNP):I welcome the debate,
which takes place during food and drink fortnight, and I am pleased
to speak in it. As the cabinet secretary said, Scotland’s food and
drink industry is vital to the rural economy, and I am delighted to
welcome the Scottish Government’s ambitious plan to expand it
further. Building brand Scotland is key to achieving that aim. Many
people are becoming increasingly aware of the importance to the
industry of provenance, sustainability and country of origin
labels—an issue that was
again raised with me by NFUS leadership during the summer...
The Cabinet Secretary for the Rural Economy (Fergus
Ewing): I
remind Mr Chapman that I have said in this chamber—and I repeat it
now—and I have said to local farmers and NFUS members that we are absolutely committed to
finding a way to avoid that 80 per cent reduction in LFASS...
(North East Scotland)
(Con):...I wrote to Mr Ewing asking him to support
the NFUS proposal to request from the European
Commission a derogation of the three-crop rule and a shortening of
the ecological focus areas fallow period. Those measures would have
had a significant positive impact on our farmers’ ability to plan
ahead and to alleviate the extreme shortage of winter feed. They
would have cost the Government nothing, yet no action has been
taken; I have not even received a reply...
...The Scottish Fishermen’s Federation and
the NFUS have got behind the UK Government’s
Chequers plan, which is the only plan on the table. It will deliver
friction-free and tariff-free trade across Europe...
To read the whole debate, CLICK
HERE
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