Scotland’s Butchers
The next item of business is a members’ business debate on motion S4M-05696, in the name of Nigel Don, on Scotland’s butchers lead the way with quality produce. The debate will be concluded without any questions being put. I ask members and members of the public who are leaving please to do so quietly.
Motion debated,
That the Parliament congratulates farmers’ markets and food purveyors in Angus North and Mearns and across the country on what it sees as their contribution to Scotland’s economy and environment and the communities that they serve; understands that the horsemeat scandal has resulted in butchers seeing an increase in sales as customers seek out the highest quality produce sourced from their area, and believes that butchers provide a great benefit to their customers and the public by supplying locally sourced meats.
12:32
I am delighted to bring the motion to Parliament in the context of the event that I was able to host in the members’ restaurant on Tuesday and which I know many people enjoyed. It was an opportunity to celebrate our farmers markets and I think that, in considering each of the businesses that were represented, I shall be able to draw some lessons from the event.
I will start with the butchers. As many members will know, my motion was lodged in the wake of the horsemeat scandal and the observation that our local butchers were benefiting substantially from the loss of trust in our supermarkets. I think that all butchers saw an increase in trade; indeed, I understand that some have seen a significant and sustained rise in turnover.
Among those who were in Parliament in Tuesday, Hebbie Fowlie from Bert Fowlie Butchers in Strichen recognised that having seen new customers in his shop he had to keep them coming back. There is no doubt—and no doubt in his mind—that in time the supermarkets will fight back.
Adam and Dawn Marshall from Reiver Country Farm Foods Ltd breed, fatten and butcher their own pigs and then cure and smoke the bacon and ham. Their business demonstrates the benefits not only of minimising transport but of retaining all that added value in their operation—a theme to which I will return.
Community farms were represented at Tuesday’s event. Gorgie City Farm in Edinburgh, which is as much an educational experience as it is a working farm, has inspired young and old for the past 30 years. I must admit that I found its collection of chicken and duck eggs most interesting, not least because they vary enormously in size and colour. I have to say that its sausages are also very good and are to be recommended.
Whitmuir Community Farm Ltd is an organic farm in East Lothian that is run by Robert Cruise and Heather Anderson and which is in the process of becoming a community benefits society in order to preserve it as a place of research and education in sustainable farming. I believe that the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment is already aware of that enterprise, which is another example of the kind of thing that we need to be promoting across Scotland. The approach clearly has benefits.
On education, I note the work of Iain Spink from Arbroath who produces organic smokies and can be seen at agricultural shows demonstrating the smoking process. I have to say that there are few things better than a fresh smokie, certainly as far as fish is concerned.
Two bakers were with us on Tuesday. Allan Brodie from Saltire Patisserie Ltd found that his cakes were very much appreciated and his haggis-flavoured bread, which is perhaps something of an acquired taste, is apparently in demand as a novelty. His magnificent saltire cake, which I believe is still in one piece, will be enjoyed later this afternoon.
Karine Hay and Katia Lebart from The Wee Boulangerie Ltd in Edinburgh demonstrated with their range of breads that, even in these difficult times, it is possible to run a successful small business if quality products are produced. Those who sampled their bread will know well the quality of the products that they produce.
The St Andrews Farmhouse Cheese Company Ltd was represented by Jane Stewart. It has expanded from simply producing milk—which we know is not a particularly profitable activity—into cheese making, and it supplies a number of local outlets. That allows it to generate and retain the added value within the business, and to reduce food miles, which is a subject to which I will return.
Tanny Gill, who is a fromager affineur, is clearly passionate about Scottish cheeses. His message is that we should eat our own cheese rather than import cheese. How could one disagree with that? However, in order to do that, we will need to raise awareness of our local products. I suggest that that is one task that the Government can help with because it is difficult for a small business to do that nationally.
Isla Gillon represented Cairn o’ Mhor Ltd fruit wines. It uses local fruit from the Carse of Gowrie. Its winery also has a restaurant, which made the visit a doubly pleasurable experience.
Paul and Victoria Miller came from the St Andrews Brewery Company Ltd and gave us samples of some very acceptable beers. It is a great pity that the event was held at lunch time. If it had been in the evening, I might have enjoyed rather more of the beer, albeit that it may not have been safe to do so. I certainly enjoyed it.
I did not realise that we were going to cover local alcohol products in addition to the contribution that is made by butchers, but it is good to do so.
Does Nigel Don share my disappointment that when people come to receptions in Parliament—whether at lunchtime or in the evening—they do not get Scottish wine or beer?
I share John Mason’s disappointment. There are lessons to be learned from what has happened this week. The event begs a few questions to which people might want to come up with answers.
The most interesting part of the story that St Andrews Brewery had to tell was that its whole process is local. It uses locally grown and malted grain. The spent is returned to local farms either as fertiliser or feed for pigs, which finish up on the table of the restaurant or pub where people drink the local beer.
That is an example that sums up what farmers’ markets potentially have to teach us. A couple of centuries ago, what I have just said would have been wholly unremarkable. In fact, people would have wondered how anything could be done differently. However, in the past century, we have been through a process of intensifying farming and of cheap transport, and we have moved an awful lot of stuff around for reasons that we well understand. We are beginning to understand that there are significant disadvantages to that approach. We are recognising that we cannot afford to move food around and, indeed, that we do not need to. That is one of the overwhelming messages from the event; I am sure that that issue will come out further in the debate. We should be going back to a time when we think about what can be produced and consumed locally because that ticks all the right boxes.
Although he was not able to attend the event, I must mention Bruce Brymer, my local butcher in Brechin, simply because he produces such excellent stuff.
I thank everyone who came to the event and all those who produce local food in Scotland. I recognise that the Government has been supportive of our food industry—my aim is not to criticise the Government. I am sure that the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment will tell us all about that. I look forward to hearing other members’ contributions to the debate.
12:38
I am pleased to be speaking in this lunchtime debate, and congratulate Nigel Don on securing the slot.
In many ways this is a timely debate, not least because Nigel Don hosted a successful farmers market in Parliament this week. It was an excellent example of what Scotland’s local producers have to offer, and a good opportunity for MSPs to talk to stall holders about their businesses and their passion for their produce.
As well as welcoming the two stalls that are based in Fife—the Eden Brewery Ltd and the St Andrews Farmhouse Cheese Company—I spoke to farm owners who had diversified into running shops and selling their own produce direct to their customers. I also spoke to the people running the butcher stall. They had a fantastic model. They are supplied by a local farm, they butcher on the shop premises and they can tell customers exactly where the product is from and how it has been produced. They have complete traceability and quality.
For the modern shopper, a butcher’s shop or farmers market can be intimidating. If customers are used to prepackaged produce, they can be wary of the mental arithmetic that is involved in calculating pounds and kilos, particularly if they are price conscious. The butchers whom I spoke to recognise that and they work to price the produce as clearly as possible and to be accessible and provide friendly service. I remember going into a butcher’s shop with my mother when I was a little girl, but like many of my generation, my shopping experience has been much more supermarket focused. This point might not seem to be relevant to those who have always shopped at butcher’s shops, but for people who have only ever experienced off-the-shelf shopping, it can be intimidating to go into a shop and ask for a pound of sausages without knowing what that actually looks like.
There are opportunities for butchers. Although the number of high street butchers has reduced, in recent weeks there have been reports of increased footfall and many shops are now also promoting online sales, which is a smart move in today’s market.
My granddad was a butcher. It was the trade that he learnt on leaving school and his profession until he retired. At the time, it was an essential skill. That meant that during the war he was at home and his contribution was made in a different way. Butchery was a highly regarded skill and a lot of pride was taken in the work. In the move to much bigger-scale production over the years, there have been concerns that some of that skill is at risk of being lost. There is now a greater commitment from many small and big retailers to recognise and nurture the skill of butchers, which is to be welcomed.
The motion also mentions the horsemeat scandal. The shocking revelations that we have heard could be the catalyst for a national debate about our culture’s relationship with food, which could include how we eat, what we eat, how decisions on that are made at individual and corporate level, and the impact that those decisions have on our local and national economies, our nation’s health and our environment.
Last year I held a members’ business debate on the Fife diet food manifesto. Given what we now know about the impact of the supply chain stretching across Europe, the scale and potential for food fraud and the treatment of the consumer, this is a good time to have a wider debate.
In preparing for today’s debate I did a bit of research. It is undoubtedly true that the quality of meat is higher in many butchers’ shops, that the supply chain is shorter and that there are potential environmental benefits to more local shopping. However, what challenges does price present? A pound of pork sausages—roughly 400g—at my local farmers market cost me £3.24. At a high street butcher’s in my region, a similar weight of sausages cost me £3.18. Although the big supermarket that I went to offers a range of differently priced sausages, a pound of its own-brand pork sausages cost £1.38.
Many families across Scotland are facing economic challenges. If people are on low incomes, they have to make choices. I know that compared to other European countries we spend less of our household income on food. An argument can justifiably be made that people should buy less meat, but should buy meat of a higher quality—although that argument tends to be made by commentators who do not have to make that kind of choice. I fully accept that there is evidence to suggest that a cultural shift would be a good thing as it would support local businesses, improve our environment and lead to people being able to eat better-quality produce. However, part of the debate must be about how we ensure that low-income families are not excluded as we meet that challenge.
12:43
I thank Nigel Don for bringing the debate to the chamber.
The recent horsemeat scandal has resulted in one of the biggest changes in consumer habits for many years. A Quality Meat Scotland survey revealed that in February this year alone 92 per cent of craft butcher shops experienced increased footfall following media coverage of the horsemeat issue. In the week ending 9 February, many butchers reported sales uplifts of between 10 and 25 per cent. Many customers are visiting their local butcher for the first time, and are seeking reassurance about the supply chain and the quality of their meat. Craft butchers are, of course, in a position to provide such reassurance.
In Auchtertool, which is in the Kirkcaldy constituency, one butcher has been going from strength to strength. Puddledub Pork and Fifeshire Bacon Company Ltd is a family business situated at Clentrie farm at the east of the village. Run by Tom Mitchell and his sister Camilla, whose grandfather Harry came to the farm in 1905, Puddledub Pork was established in 1999. As the name suggests, the company is predominantly about pig farming. The Mitchells take care to ensure that the pigs enjoy the happiest of lives. The animals are allowed to grow slowly and are given the care and attention that they need. A pig consultant makes regular visits to ensure that welfare is at the highest level at every stage. The pigs are fed home-grown grain and the Mitchells themselves transport the animals on the short journey to the abattoir, which means that stress is kept to a minimum.
Clentrie farm is also home to Puddledub buffalo from the Buffalo Farm Ltd, which is run by Steve Mitchell, who is the nephew of Tom and Camilla. Steve runs his herds of water buffalo and Aberdeen Angus cattle and a flock of Jacob sheep on the grassland. There is also a freshwater loch that is designated as a site of special scientific interest. The Mitchells’ philosophy is quite simple: they believe that produce with low food miles that has not been shipped halfway around the world is tastier than produce that has been. It is hard to argue with that, especially as a longer food supply chain can result in scandals such as the horsemeat issue.
The Mitchells and many other local butchers regularly sell their food at farmers markets throughout Scotland, including the one in Kirkcaldy on the last Saturday of every month, which has been running for 12 years. It sets up in the centre of the town in the square outside the town house, which makes it easy for locals and visitors to access it. Farmers markets are a great way for producers and consumers to cut out the middleman, and the farmers market in Kirkcaldy is no exception to that. The range of suppliers typically includes suppliers of meat, fish and dairy produce, fruit and vegetables, preservatives and beverages. Many local butchers have stalls at the market. The likes of Hilton Wild Boar, Dalachy Beef & Lamb and Seriously Good Venison set up alongside Puddledub Pork. Fife’s food ambassador, Christopher Trotter, regularly visits to provide cooking demonstrations.
A year ago, Kirkcaldy farmers market was in danger of closing due to a lack of business, but an appeal for more people to use it resulted in an increase in footfall and extended support from Fife Council. By July, new stalls had been added to give customers more variety, and 12 months on, the market is stronger than ever. That is a clear indication that it is valued by both customers and traders. Fife Council’s confirmation of support is a further welcome boost.
The obvious benefit of farmers markets is that farmers can produce and sell directly to customers. There is an abundance of farmers in Fife, which makes markets such as that in Kirkcaldy the shortest and easiest route possible from producer to consumer. By responding to the appeal for more business, customers displayed the fact that they value the reassurance of knowing where and how food has been produced. That can be provided only by speaking to farmers themselves. The further benefits of farmers markets include the reduction of carbon footprints and the ability to keep local economies healthy, both of which are vital measures of success in a modern Scotland.
I applaud the work of Puddledub Pork and its fellow butchers, and encourage customers everywhere to visit farmers markets and local butchers as often as possible.
12:47
As other members have done, I congratulate Nigel Don on securing the debate. I am delighted to take part in it, because I come from very close to Castle Douglas, which is a small market town that still maintains four butchers’ shops on its High Street.
In typical Scottish fashion, a great deal of humour emanated from the horsemeat scandal. I particularly liked the campaign that Dumfries and Galloway’s Savour the Flavours initiated. It produced a logo that stated “Neigh horse meat here” to promote the fantastic butchers in my home region. I also understand that an enterprising Edinburgh entrepreneur started to sell horsemeat burgers with the absolute guarantee that they contained no trace of beef whatever. The Scots cannot be beaten when it comes to raising a smile in the face of a serious situation. That was all the more acceptable in this case, as the one certainty that existed throughout the horsemeat debacle was that there was no danger to human health.
Nonetheless, the scandal blew a gaping hole in many previously held convictions. It blew a gaping hole in the conviction that the meat—in particular, the processed meat—that we buy from the shelves of our retail outlets is exactly what it says on the label; the conviction that the traceability of our food is foolproof; and the conviction that we have a trustworthy and robust regulatory regime. All those fundamental convictions in respect of consumer confidence have been blown out of the water by the scandal.
One of the saddest aspects is that it has left many of our primary producers—our farmers—wondering why they have had to spend fortunes as the first link in the food chain in order to conform to a traceability scheme that they believe to be robust in order that the consumer can have complete faith in the product that he or she purchases. The farmer, as much as the consumer, has been badly let down by the shambles.
One of the most amusing results of recent events was the unseemly rush by the major supermarkets to source their meat and meat products locally in the wake of the horsemeat scandal. For years and years, everybody from the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment through to many others who are involved in the industry had been encouraging the supermarkets to support local producers and, through them, to support the local economy. For years and years, those pleas had largely fallen on deaf ears. However, after one scandal—almost certainly caused by the supermarkets’ constant downward pressure on the profit margins of their suppliers—suddenly the supermarkets could not get enough local produce. It was almost laughable.
As the motion highlights, throughout the horsemeat scandal and the many other previous food-related scandals, our local butchers have provided a continuing comforting and reassuring high street presence, and there has been a steady expansion of the farmers market network, both of which were superbly represented in the event in the members’ restaurant that Nigel Don hosted yesterday, and have maintained and promoted the superb quality of Scottish produce and kept it available to the consumer.
As many others have said, this is about food miles, traceability, sustainability and quality, but it is also, if I may suggest it, about trustworthiness and faith in our local produce. I am delighted to support the motion.
12:51
This lunch-time debate certainly makes me feel that it is lunch time—all this talk of food is encouraging my appetite.
I, too, congratulate Nigel Don on behalf of the people who attended the event on Tuesday. Unfortunately, I was unable to sample the locally brewed beers because of the queue at the time. I was moved on to sample the bread instead, which I thoroughly enjoyed.
We have much to be proud of in Scotland in our butchers. In my Aberdeenshire West constituency, we have some of the best butchers in Scotland. To give some flavour of why I say that, I might point to A & G Collie of Kemnay, which won this year’s Scottish Countryside Alliance butcher award. Collie won the award against all adversity: his shop was burned down, so he got a portakabin and continued trading, but was burgled just before Christmas. Despite all the tragedy that had befallen him, he ensured that every customer’s Christmas order was delivered on time. He is a worthy person for the Scottish Countryside Alliance award.
We also have Gary Raeburn of Huntly, who was young butcher of the year last year. Along with butcher Andrew Peter from Inverurie, he will represent Aberdeenshire at the meat skills Scotland competition in Perth in May. I wish them both well.
My constituency also has the privilege of having H M Sheridan Ltd as butcher in Ballater. For years, Sheridan has provided meats and produce for the royal family at Balmoral and continues to do so. As well as having the royal warrant for that, Sheridan also takes his meats and produce out to various farmers markets. He is certainly appreciated in Westhill, where there is no butcher for a population of more than 11,000. Mr Sheridan takes the meats from Ballater to Westhill, and they are enjoyed by the people there and from the surrounding area.
Not every town and village has a butcher, so we have become overreliant on our supermarkets. For months, since being returned to Parliament, I have been campaigning to ensure that local produce is available in our supermarkets. What is grown locally and produced locally should be sold locally. That would take into account the animal welfare aspects, given the fact that we would not need to transport our animals so far.
It is disappointing that Scottish produce is not the major product on our supermarket shelves. I recently wrote to Tesco to complain that only 28 per cent of its lamb was Scottish, with the rest coming from New Zealand. That is a scandal because we have some of the best meat products—lamb, poultry and fish—here in Scotland. As Alex Fergusson suggested, we should put more pressure on our supermarkets to ensure that they sell local produce to the people in our communities.
I congratulate Nigel Don on securing the debate on his motion. I certainly support it.
12:55
I, too, congratulate Nigel Don. Unfortunately, the entirely less digestible Advisory Audit Board meeting yesterday prevented my attending the lunch-time event, but I am delighted to participate in the debate. As Nigel Don explained, the motion was lodged in the midst of the horsemeat scandal and, as Alex Fergusson suggested, there was among all the seriousness a great deal of gallows humour. On that note, I look forward to putting a couple of quid on Findus Crispy Pancake in the Sands Hotel handicap chase during the Burray Football Club race night on Saturday.
If there is a silver lining to the scandal, it is the resultant strong demand that local butchers have seen in their businesses. In Orkney, that has been very much the case. Supermarkets will and must look again at their supply chains, which will present challenges. However, I take some comfort from the remarks of Patrick Wall, the former chief executive of the Food Safety Authority of Ireland, who said:
“If there is a review of the supply chain management there is a huge opportunity for Orkney.”
He added that
“Orkney is the role model for the rest of Europe to aspire to”.
In the islands, we are fortunate to have a range of good local butchers such as E R & T Craigie, W Lobban & Son, Williamson’s, Flett Butchers, Donaldson’s of Orkney, D A Sinclair and the Dounby Butcher. Doubtless, I have missed one or two. However, they have had to cope not just with the consequences of the horsemeat scandal but, as the cabinet secretary will be aware, with the demise of Orkney Meat Ltd as well. The difficulties of Orkney Meat were fairly long lasting and resulted from the cost of disposing of waste off the island as well as from what was happening with the beef market generally and from the problems that were being experienced by independent butchers further south, many of which were customers of Orkney Meat. It is inconceivable that Orkney be left without a killing facility; therefore, I welcome the efforts that were made—which were helped by Richard Lochhead—to pull together a co-operative of local butchers who are maintaining the facility despite the competition between them. They recognise the need to safeguard the Orkney brand and to maintain supplies not just to the local market but beyond. I am delighted that that work has continued apace.
There are opportunities flowing from that, but there are issues to be faced in relation to capacity. Thorfinn Craigie from E R & T Craigie has suggested:
“It would be impossible to kill the beasts and process them with the current capacity ... I wouldn’t like to say we could never do it, but it would need a fresh look at how we meet the capacity”.
So, with the opportunities come challenges.
In this place, we often rail against red tape and bureaucracy—not without good reason, on occasion—but the horsemeat scandal has offered a telling insight into the other side of the equation. We must always be balanced and proportionate in how we apply the rules, but no one can be in any doubt about the benefits of rigorous traceability. As Thorfinn Craigie testifies, the paperwork load may be massive but
“We have full traceability and that is crucial.”
As Alex Fergusson suggested, the problem arises in the lack of a level playing field. There is huge frustration among the local butchers in Orkney because they are under many requirements—and the implication for local farmers of even minor non-compliance can be the loss of the single farm payment—yet the horsemeat scandal has illustrated that the same rigour has not been applied at the cheaper end of the market. That must change. Professor Wall suggests that major retailers wanted the consumer recognition that comes with quality assurance schemes but were less prepared to pay suppliers the extra money to cover the costs of that. He hopes that they
“have learned a lesson that by forcing prices down, they only incentivise criminal activity.”
It is right that Parliament has had an opportunity to highlight the high-quality service that is provided by local butchers not just in Orkney or in Angus and the Mearns, but right across the country. I congratulate Nigel Don on securing the debate and commend him for his other activities this week. These have been difficult times, but I hope that there is cause for optimism looking ahead.
12:59
I commend the member for Angus North and Mearns, Nigel Don, for organising the debate and Tuesday’s farmers market event, which was held in the members’ restaurant and which many of us attended. It was an enjoyable event. Many people turned out to it and it showcased a wide variety of products that Scotland’s producers and processors have to offer. I was at the event and purchased some burgers and sausages. I even had a couple of the pork sausages from Gorgie City Farm, which is not too far from the Parliament, for breakfast this morning. They were absolutely fantastic. That sums up the quality that we get from our local producers.
I noted John Mason’s comments about the food at receptions in the Scottish Parliament. Perhaps there is a case for making it more local. I am sure that the Deputy Presiding Officer is paying close attention to that point because it is a responsibility of the Presiding Officers. I am sure that he will take that point away.
Each farmers market has a unique character. However, Nigel Don has previously made a valid point about the need for such events to be held indoors. We all know that the weather in Scotland is not always the best, and holding our farmers markets indoors may be a way to encourage the people of Scotland to buy even more local food directly from the producers.
We will be keen to consider that as part of the new think local initiative that the Scottish Government is funding to encourage more local produce to be made available to consumers throughout Scotland, and to help to fund any local initiatives that come about with that aim in mind.
Just over a month ago, we debated the achievements of our first ever national food and drink policy. In that debate, I was struck by the great pride that members from across the political spectrum took in highlighting the many success stories in their constituencies’ local food and drink sectors.
I have visited many of the butchers throughout the country that have been mentioned in today’s debate. In the debate on the national food and drink policy, members were right to express pride in what businesses of all sizes the length and breadth of Scotland have achieved over the past few years. We all hope that the success story of promoting local food in Scotland—not only selling it locally but exporting it to other markets—continues in the future.
The demand for local food and drink increases year on year, despite some of the myths and the economic climate. That is really good news and is a big vote of confidence in the quality and reputation of Scottish food. However, that trend, which has been established over the past several years, has been given fresh impetus on the back of the horsemeat scandal, as members rightly said.
Since that scandal broke, the Scottish Government has been working hard in partnership with industry organisations to highlight the message that shoppers can have confidence in the “Scotch” label, for which provenance, traceability and quality are clear. I believe that that is why so many more people are now going to local butchers compared with only last year. A boom is taking place in local butcher sales in Scotland, as many of the anecdotes from members illustrate. Some butchers report that sales have gone up by more than a fifth since January. Others say that they have increased by 30 per cent. I have heard even higher percentages. That is really good news and reflects the fact that local butchers have a long-established relationship with farmers and know every step that their meat takes before it reaches their customers’ plates.
The cabinet secretary acknowledged that many of our farmers are diversifying in how they sell their produce. However, they are opening their doors to non-meat eaters as well. I am aware of butchers who are producing cheese and leek pasties and other such goods for vegetarians. We must congratulate our butchers on producing non-meat products too.
Many of our local butchers are certainly innovative. It is also encouraging that so many local butchers, as members said, continue to populate our high streets. That is certainly the case in my constituency—I visit all my local butchers regularly—as it is elsewhere in the country. Of course, one reason why butchers are still on our high streets despite some of the trends of recent years is that they innovate. They explain the story behind their produce to customers and take other steps, so they deserve their success.
The supply of meat to butchers is important. That is why our livestock sector is so important in Scotland. Given the impact of the recent weather on some sheep farmers, I hope that we can use the debate to encourage Scottish consumers to get even more behind our sheep farmers and livestock farmers and to support them in their hour of need by purchasing even more Scotch lamb and Scotch beef.
The uplift in demand for their produce is leading to an increase in demand for skilled butchers. Skills Development Scotland is turning its attention to the issue and is working in tandem with the Meat Training Council to deliver modern apprenticeships in meat processing skills. Let us not forget that the industry needs specific skills, so we must encourage our young people to take up training and opportunities in their local butchers’ shops. We are supporting 252 modern apprenticeship posts throughout Scotland, from Stranraer to Shetland and everywhere in between. That is good news. Other initiatives are being taken, too.
The horsemeat scandal is not yet behind us, as cases of contamination continue to be uncovered by the extensive testing regime that we introduced. The Scottish Government is looking for further action at European level in that regard. I hope that consumers throughout Scotland will continue to support their local butchers. In a recent survey by Kantar, 46 per cent of consumers said that they would change their purchasing behaviour as a result of the horsemeat scandal.
I hope that people will continue to give more support to their local producers. As food minister, I will continue to do what I can do to support the local food agenda. We are investing £1 million in the think local campaign. We have set up a community food fund, to help to promote Scotland’s rich larder throughout the country. We are making available £1 million in the next three years to provide targeted assistance to local food networks and communities, to give people the opportunity to show their wares to a wider audience and to build on the reputation that we have been celebrating in this debate.
There is much more that I could say. I congratulate all our local butchers on their success. I will continue to send the message to consumers in Scotland that they should look for the “Scotch” label, and that by visiting their local butcher they can be assured of good quality produce, integrity on provenance, and food that tastes absolutely fantastic, as was clear from the food that was on show at the farmers market in the Scottish Parliament on Tuesday—of which I hope we see more in the future. I congratulate Nigel Don on securing this important debate.
I share the cabinet secretary’s view that the Scottish Parliament should use and showcase Scottish food, but, on a point of information, I should say that the food that is available in the Parliament is a matter for the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body and not for the Presiding Officers.
13:07
Meeting suspended.
14:31
On resuming—