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Farming and Food Production Working Group formed
Thursday 20 June 2019 - 15:15
A new working group has been formed by the Scottish Government to develop the future policy on farming and food production.
Thr group is made up of producers and comsumer and environmental organisations and will consider how we use Scotland's natural assets to produce food and mitigate the impact of climate change. The new group will also look at how best to support such activity is Scotland has to leave the European Union.
The Group will explore and make recommendations on future farming and food production policy built around the six principles set out in Parliament in January with a view to making clear recommendations for future policy development for Farming and Food Production in the course of 2020. The themes were:
- sustainability
- simplicity
- profitability
- innovation
- inclusion
- productivity
Convening the first meeting of the group while at the Royal Highland Show, Rural Economy Secretary Fergus Ewing said:
"People are the food and farming industry’s greatest resource so I am delighted that such an array of talented, experienced and knowledgeable people has agreed to join this group and I look forward to convening its first meeting today. It will provide its views and expertise to support Scottish Government officials in making recommendations on future farming and food production policy built around the six principles set out earlier this year to Parliament.
"Scotland’s landscape and climate provide us with an unrivalled natural larder. We need to develop policies which support both, to ensure that our status as a high quality producer of food is maintained and grows.
"Crucially, we need an integrated approach that will ensure that Scotland’s land assets play their part in responding to and mitigating the global climate emergency. I look forward to hearing the proposals."
The group will make their recommendations during the course of 2020.