- Monitoring supply chain to build resilience
Ensuring Scotland’s food security by monitoring the supply chain
for possible disruption is the focus of a new dedicated Food
Security Unit.
Its establishment was a key recommendation of the Short-life Food
Security and Supply Taskforce, which was set up by the Scottish
Government, together with industry, immediately following
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The new Food Security Unit will take forward the legacy activity
of the taskforce. It will monitor food system resilience and
engage widely so that government and industry are able to react
as quickly as possible to any future shocks.
Speaking ahead of a parliamentary debate on Securing a
Sustainable Food Supply for Scotland, Rural Affairs Secretary
said:
“In the recent past we’ve seen several significant events
impacting our food and drink sector, including Covid-19, the war
in Ukraine and, crucially - the UK Government’s choice to pursue
a hard Brexit, which took us out of the EU and the Single Market.
On top of this there has been further disruption to supply chains
resulting from climate volatility, something that we are likely
to see more of in the future.
“I want to ensure we are able to anticipate and adapt to shocks
as much as possible, while we develop policies to try to mitigate
them and reduce their likelihood. While it is not possible to
predict all impacts, our new dedicated Food Security Unit will
enable better long-term insight into global supply chain
performance - helping us to improve our responsiveness to
potential crises.
“Our farmers and crofters are essential to Scotland’s food
security and I am committed to supporting our nation's producers,
in the short term, by maintaining direct payments, and in the
long term through our new Agriculture Bill and reform programme.”
