Food and drink

Rural Affairs Secretary Mairi Gougeon has called for ‘meaningful engagement’ with the UK Government over issues impacting Scottish food and drink businesses.

Scottish Festival of Real Bread returns

The festival welcomed almost 1,000 people last year and this February expects to attract even greater numbers with a line-up packed with events championing those who produce Real Bread, from soil to slice, and that cater to those who value its place on the table.

 

Grants of up to £2,000 to support early-stage community-owned pub groups are now available to help with initial costs and feasibility work as part of the Scottish Rural Network (SRN) support for Community Wealth Building and Community Led Local Development (CLLD).

March 2024 Scottish Community Pubs Network Zoom

Plunkett is delighted to invite you to our next online networking event for Scottish community pub groups. This evening’s free get-together is open to all community groups involved in a community-owned pub project in Scotland, whether you are at the ideas stage or are already open and trading.

Businesses and marine organisations in Scotland’s coastal communities will benefit from £14 million in grants from the Marine Fund Scotland 2023-24.

A total of 91 projects, with grants ranging from just under £1,000 up to £1.6 million, will support innovation and sustainable practices for the marine economy, including work to reduce carbon emissions. Projects include:

Ensuring everyone in Scotland can access nutritious, sustainable food is at the heart of new plans to transform the country’s food system.

Farm Retail Masterclass - Scotland's Agritourism Monitor Farms Programme

Starting at Macbeth’s Butchers which is a family run business that provides high quality meat products throughout the UK.

In the main, the beef is provided from their own farm, Edinvale, in upland Moray where they rear traditional Scottish native breeds. These are reared in as an extensive, natural environment as possible being fed grass, home grown hay or silage and no growth promoters. Macbeth's also supply a full range of pork and lamb from local farms with a similar philosophy. Macbeth's venison and game is also sourced locally.

Projects from the Borders to the Outer Hebrides are being awarded grants of up to £5,000 to help to promote food products from their region and establish new markets.

Food festivals, food and drink trails, markets and online shops are among the 22 local and collaborative projects to receive support from the latest round of the Scottish Government’s Regional Food Fund.

Small producers will be able to access a range of new support through a new government pilot to help them become more sustainable.

The Small Producers Pilot Fund has been allocated over £180,000 which will be used to assist small producers and crofters to establish more localized supply chains and cut food miles.

CEA Webinar - Growing vegetable crops in controlled environments

The webinar will provide an introduction to controlled environment agriculture (CEA), also known as protected cultivation or growing. The guest speakers will provide an overview of different forms of CEA, share trends and innovations and explain where the challenges opportunities lie.

Pages