 The final item of business today is a member's business debate on motion number 302 in the name of Graham Day on promoting good food from Angus. I'm presuming that that's the place Angus, rather than a person. This debate will be concluded without any questions being put. Would those members who wish to speak in the debate please press their request to speak buttons as soon as possible? I call on Graham Day to open the debate around seven minutes, please, Mr Day. Let me begin by thanking colleagues on the SNP green and Labour benches for providing the support for this motion, which has enabled it to be debated this evening. Can I also thank those colleagues who remain behind to support the debate? There was a time, not so long ago, that I might not have been able to stand up in this chamber and extol the virtues of a thriving, diverse, Angus-based food and drink sector. Back in 2011, as a new member of the Racky Committee, I attended the Royal Highland show and dropped in a fantastic event being hosted within the SRUC stand. In essence, it pitched areas of the country against each other in a Food Wars contest, allowing visitors to sample produce from each competing region, then vote for the best. Front and centre in this was the wonderful and sadly lamented savor the flavours initiative from Dumfries and Galloway. I recall returning from the show and dashing off a letter to our local council asking whether it could pull together such an offering and help to promote it on behalf of Angus. I recall even more clearly the response that I received to that. It was disappointing to say the least, but times changed. Angus has begun to develop a reputation for more than just the smoky, soft fruit, game and preserves production—hugely important that those are. Now, when people think of Angus, they are also thinking that the high-end market, vodka and gin, is produced by Ogilvy's spirit in our beaky highland estate, and credit the head of economic development at the council, Alison Smith and her team, for helping to facilitate the upsurge and interest in what the county has to offer. Given that response that I received back in 2011, it is heartening nowadays to hear local food and drink businesses praising the council for the support that it is providing them. Alongside all of that, we have the emergence of the food life, a group of local Angus businesses that have come together to, as they say, to put Angus on the map for its excellent food and drink and to make local produce available to residents and visitors alike. If you, in any way, doubt the progress that has been made in this area, then look at the four nominations that are there for the rural Parliament's Innovators Award for Angus, established to mark the rural Parliament coming to Breakin early next month. Three were food and drink related. First, there was the four mentioned Ogilvy's spirits, an award-winning farm diversification project, masterminded by Graham and Caroline Jarren, who are using homegrown potatoes to make vodka and the base spirit for gin, and have now branched out into cocktail mixes. Then we had Angus Farmer's market, which is held regularly in Forferham and Trose. Finally, contending for the award, there was food life, that collective of Angus-based fishermen, farmers, retailers, food vendors and primary producers. Of course, earlier this week, food life was announced as a winner and a popular winner at that. I dropped in on one of their pop-up food events a few weeks ago, and I was amazed to see the turnout from far and wide to support it. The cues for the artisana patisserie van, muckleback at oven pizza, sacred grounds coffee beans, Kirrie ales and the previously noted gin bothy, for example, were heartening to say the least, especially considering the location of the gathering. It was not a well-populated Angus town, but the small coastal settlement of East Haven, a venue that required pretty much every visitor to have travelled a decent distance. There is no doubt that food life has struck on something. Equally, there is no doubt that the food and drink sector in general is thriving in Angus and gaining a national and indeed international reputation. Ogilvie spirits in Arbeci Highland estate distillery, which is also located within my Angus south constituency, are at the forefront of that. Arbeci has just won two gold medals at the spirits business first luxury masters, and now it is branching out into whisky, as well as gin and vodka, including chili vodka. Its products are being sold to the USA, Hong Kong, China, mainland Europe and the Caribbean. Ogilvie spirits has also won a raft of international awards and having focused initially on exporting to the rest of the UK, the company is now actively exploring branching out into the Japanese, Malaysian, US and Australasian markets. All told, the food and drink sector in Angus is writing to provide employment for an excess of 1,800 people, with a 2.5% increase showing between 2014 and 2015. As those new elements prove the reliability and capability to supply on a scale, so it is to be hoped that those who wish to and whose products are suited to are afforded the opportunity to bid for public sector contracts, because supporting local businesses and shortening food supply chains must be part and parcel of procurement. However, having done the parochial bit, let me focus for a moment on Scotland's performance on food and drink. In 2014, Scotland's food and drink growth sector generated turnover of approximately £14.4 billion, up almost 3%. It generated growth value added of approximately £5.3 billion, up 5.2% from 2013. Food and drink manufacturing continues to account for a large share of the sector's turnover, 73% indeed, and the GBA's 71%. Over the period 2008 to 2014, turnover growth in Scotland's food and drink manufacturing sector was at 21.4%, outperforming the UK, which was at 13.3%. That contrast is even more stark when you take Scotch whisky out of the equation. Both Scotland and the UK, the growth has been driven by increased turnover generated by the food manufacturing sector. Between 2008 and 2014, Scotland's food manufacturing sector turnover increased by 43%, compared to an increase of 21% for the UK. In other words, the growth of food manufacturing in Scotland is running at twice the rate of the UK average. The good news continues. Between 2008 and 2014, the level of R&D investment by Scottish food and drink companies doubled. Sales of Scottish brands in the UK have risen by around 35% since 2007. Exports of food beyond the UK have risen by over 50% since 2007, breaking the £1 billion barrier. A positive picture is credit to the producers, but credit to those who have played and are playing their part in promoting the sector. People like the former Cabinet Secretary Richard Lockhead and James Withers in his team at Scotland Food and Drink. Clearly, given the upward trajectory, we can, of course, do more. In drawing to a conclusion, the Scottish Government should seek to appoint a national chef as per its manifesto commitment. It strikes me that we are missing a trick in that regard. Our food has a global reputation. We have chefs of international standing. Attend any domestic food promotion event and you will inevitably see cookery displays. Let's appoint one of those top-notch chefs to a role promoting Scottish produce and the multitude of dishes it can deliver to an already receptive international audience. I will finish with a plug for a taste of Angus event that I am hosting in the member's dining room immediately following the debate. The member will have the opportunity to sample some of the best produce that Angus has to offer, along with the aforementioned vodka and gin, Presiding Officer. Thank you, Mr Dey. I look forward to my personal invitation. That sounds good. We now move to the open speeches of around four minutes, please. Peter Chapman, to be followed by Rhoda Grant. Thank you, Presiding Officer. I refer members to my register of interests in agriculture. I am sure that colleagues across the chamber will join me in paying tribute to all those who have played a role in making the food life such an extraordinary success. I also note that they have won the Rural Innovator Award from the Scottish Rural Parliament and I look forward to the opportunity to meet their team when I attend the Rural Parliament in Breachan at the beginning of next month. Angus is well known as a county that produces some of its finest food. From the angus glands producing fine cutland sheep to some of the most fertile soils in Scotland growing malting barley, quality wheat, seed tatties and delicious fruit and vegetables and let's not forget our bro's smokies and what a treat they are. As Graham rightly pointed out, gin is now added to that list and there must be many others. It is a testament to the unique combination of hard work, innovation and respect for tradition that makes our food production industry such an excellent field, if you'll forgive that point, especially when we enjoy such success in exporting our quality produce. And despite such excellent quality being grown in Angus, there are significant challenges for those who are producing these world-beating goods. Times are hard on Scotland's farms just now and profits are difficult to find. I am delighted to support our food and drink sector and over the past fortnight I was fortunate enough to talk with many of the companies who have made such a success of Scottish produce. £14.3 billion is the value of our food and drink produce, making it the largest manufacturing industry in Scotland and an industry that is growing strongly, which is an incredible achievement by all those at food and drink Scotland and the supply chain that supports it. Of course, as this motion rightly points out, national organisations can't always drill down into the detail needed to promote the unique selling points of local areas and of specialist products. The food life will fulfil the role that food and drink Scotland does for the whole country but within the fertile landscapes of Angus and I would like to congratulate my colleague Graham Day for bringing this motion forward. We all need success stories like this. However, as most of us will be well aware, the billions of pounds that we have heard much about during Scotland's food and drink fortnight are not making their way back to farmers. We know that the food chain is not working well. Farmers are taking far too much risk and are putting in way too much effort for the meager returns that they receive. This is obvious as farm profits have fallen every year for the past three years, and Scottish Farm debt is at a record high of £2.2 billion, up 9 per cent or £177 million on the year. The only way that we can continue with our success in food and drink is to ensure that, as well as promoting quality produce, we need to look again at the whole supply chain. Too small a share of what the public spends on food flows back to the farmer. The people who produce their raw material, on which their successful food and drink industry is built, must get a fair share of the cake if they are to survive and if they are to continue to produce some of the finest food in the world. I congratulate Graeme Dey for securing the debate, highlighting the importance of food and drink in Angus. He pays tribute to the food life group who are working together to promote Angus as a foodie destination. As others have said, with the success of our growth, smokies already have a head start. The protected status of the smoky inspired my constituents and myself to seek similar protection for the Stornoway black pudding. We had similar success as well. It is important that we celebrate the excellence of our produce, protect their name and reputation. I think that that is very important that people in this Parliament do that. In a subsequent motion, Graeme Dey congratulates the Food Life Group on winning the Scottish Rural Parliament's Rural Innovator Awards Angus section. Graeme Dey goes on to congratulate the other winners, including Bouvarais, Cosy Homes East Sutherland scheme, Slate Community Council, Dynamic Dancers and Sula Burukes, Inspiration by Autism, Alva Ferry, LDO, Rockfield Centre, Mullan Iona sustainable transport and Mullan Iona food trail, all of whom are located in the Highlands and Islands, and therefore the Food Life Group is in very good company indeed. It is very good to see collectives achieving that kind of recognition. The Food Life Group is very similar to Bouvarais, which is a community-owned co-op run by and for small businesses in Bara and Battersea. It provides local businesses with a shop to sell their produce, which none of them could actually do because they would be unable to sustain that on their own. The success of that has meant that local people have access to local crafts and produce, something that they only had on an ad hoc basis if they knew the supplier before. However, there are challenges for such enterprise, and I know that Bouvarais has a difficulty in finding affordable premises of the size required by them. Their current shop is due to be demolished and they are struggling to find an alternative. The location of the shop is really important, with an increase of cruise ships to the islands. They want to be close to the pier and the harbour to make the most of that. Some of the alternative locations are some distance away from the pier and the harbour, and while they would still be accessible to local people, they would not be so accessible to visitors who maybe would not know where to look. I have met co-op members, council and community councils, and I will continue to work with them to find a solution. It is really important that they continue the success that they have had in growing some of those small businesses. Food poverty is a real issue in those areas, due to the high costs of transporting food to the islands by ferry. Therefore, the ability to access high-quality local food is not only good for local businesses but also good for the health of the population. We have some fantastic foods that are available and, indeed, for sale there locally. Crème dey mentioned in his speech, gin. It is a mark of the success of some of our local gins and, indeed, Harris gin, that Harris gin ran out of bottles recently and had to ration stocks. Luckily, I have just heard that they now have more bottles in stock and the rationing has come to an end. I think that there is a delight all round because of that. It is really important that the Parliament recognises organisations that make those contributions to their communities. I am therefore happy to join in congratulating Food for Life group on their innovation and their success. I call Stewart Stevenson to be followed by Alex Johnson. Thank you, Presiding Officer. May I say how cruel it is that Crème dey should bring this subject to Parliament today? Today is one of my two no food days in an attempt to contain the ever-expanding waste line that is caused entirely by my love of food, much of it the good quality Scottish food. I am not necessarily pleased with my colleague about that. He, of course, omitted one of the gems of his area. I am really quite mystifying by this, which I would enjoy and others would, which, of course, is the for-for-bridey, which I understand and protect its status. Oh, I beg your pardon, I have just had the whisper that it might be angus, but it is not his constituency, so he may be forgiven. Speaking of the smoky, I sort of thought to myself that we might pray for an Indian summer. We have not put the barbecue away. I see the smoky sitting in our barbecue wrapped in a piece of tinfoil with some Graeum's spreadable butter, which includes oil-seed rape, which is brought to the peak of culinary excellence by a farmer adjacent to Peterhead and Scottish butter, but it would also have garlic from Elgin. I now know that I would be able to, while watching that and smelling that delicious food from Angus, cooking on the barbecue, I can now sip gin from an Angus distillery. Even better, we could get slows from Delfresher, which is the best place to get them, and make slow gin, which, whose sweetness would just absolutely augment that. I am beginning to slaver in anticipation of the event that takes place at 6 o'clock. I still have 350 calories that I am allowed to eat today, so I hope to join Graeum Day. I will notwithstanding the excellent food that there is from Angus, I think that we are missing the creme de la creme of food. I have a secret deal that I will reveal for the very first time. Not at the most recent election, but the one before that, my Conservative opponent was a fisherman called Michael Watt, who supplies me with cod roe. There is nothing on earth that I love more than cod roe. I have to say, of course, that we are going to have to move it up the food chain as well. The new name for cod roe is Scottish white caviar. I look forward to seeing it marketed as that in future. In all seriousness, the Scottish Government, with the support of people across the chamber, promotes the good food nation policy. What determines our health determines our girth determines much of our economy. Peter Chapman referred to the economic value of good-quality food. We are not going to compete with the rest of the world on price, where food is concerned. That is very unlikely. There are very few things that we can compete on price, but we will always be able to compete on quality. I am delighted to find that Angus is stepping up to the mark, seeking to meet and perhaps even overtake in some distant point in time the quality of the food that we have been producing for many years in the north-east of Scotland. I congratulate the food producers of Angus on their efforts. I look forward to tasting more of them in future. Of course, it is not just farmers. I also look forward to the ripening brambles that I see in my hedgerows as part of the natural foraging that provides such excellent food from Scotland's nature bounty that we can all enjoy. The last of the open speeches is Alex Johnson. Thank you very much, Deputy Presiding Officer. It gives me great pleasure to be able to congratulate Graham Deyon on having brought this motion before Parliament and to join him in welcoming the establishment of the food life in Angus, promoting good food from Angus. The farming industry in Scotland is at the cutting edge of development and has been for most of its time here. It is important to remember that we are an industry that is capable of producing both on the large and on the small scale. What we have achieved in recent years in particular is a skill in the production, processing and marketing of food products, which has made us still further a world leader. It is that innovation that has allowed us to continue to express ourselves in the production of food both on a large and on a small scale, and nowhere focuses that more accurately than what goes on in Angus, where the very large and the very small exist side by side and equally successful. I think that I have to say a few words about Stuart Stevenson and his continuing complaints about GARTH. It is something that we need to learn to tolerate, Stuart. I can assure everyone that I am not having a no-food day, so I will—indeed. May I, through the chair, remind the member that I have done a deal with the member's wife to keep an eye on his waistline? While I continue to pose him politically, I value him as a person and a contributor to the human rights. I thank the member for his concern. He mentioned, however, his habit of putting smokies on the barbecue. Some may like that sort of thing, but I have to say that you have never tasted a smoky until you have tasted it right off the fire, because only then, when it is hot, newly cooked and still has the fresh taste of the smoke about it, will you understand the significance of the smoky in its natural environment. However, Angus has demonstrated a great deal of ingenuity in food production over the years. If you look at the soft fruit industry that now exists there and in surrounding counties, you will see an industry that was once simply producing fruit in a season, often always all-rightening on the same day, to one that now has extended its growing season massively over the period of the summer from spring to autumn and has become a vital part of our economy. It has to be said, however, that that vital part of the economy is very dependent on labour that comes in from other countries. It is one of the things that I will be seeking to work with farmers in the Angus and surrounding areas to ensure that that supply of labour is not interrupted by any changes that are afoot. It also has to be said that Angus is a great producer of staples. Potatoes, including seed potatoes and grain production, are large-scale operations in the county, and many of the larger farmers demonstrate extremely high levels of efficiency. It is also a county in which fewer livestock exist now than it did at times in the past, but nevertheless the quality remains extremely high, and forfer mart is one of the main focuses in the area for trading that livestock. Yes, it is the case that we in Scotland are good at producing food, we are good at processing it and we are good at selling it. The opportunity is there to give Scotland's food production industry its head. Given the right level of support, it is the people who are involved in that industry themselves who will take it forward and show that ingenious ability to make profit from food production. That is why I would always encourage the minister to give support what he can, but to have faith in the ability of the people in our farming and food producing communities. I now call Fergus Ewing to close the debate around seven minutes, please Cabinet Secretary. Thank you, Presiding Officer. This has been an excellent debate this evening, ably led by Graham Day, who made excellent tribute of all the food producers from his constituency in Angus, and he provided us with a comprehensive catalogue of mouthwatering temptations. Indeed, the list of food and drink and successful produce and businesses, the list from his constituency of Angus was so long, it was so tantalising that I thought it was less of a speech and more of an Alacart menu. Why not? Angus Alacart has a certain ring to it, does it not? The breadth and depth variety of food and drink produced by people, by businesses and by farmers in Angus is quite remarkable and a great tribute to them and to the success of food and drink in Scotland. I thought that it was slightly childish of him to spurn the inclusion of the forfer bridey in his chosen producers and foods. I have heard of occasions of jolting the bride, but this must be the first ever occasion of jolting the bridey. Yes, you saw that one coming, didn't you? Stuart Stevenson mentioned slavering. I think that we are going to have to consider the Procedures Committee to review standing orders to prohibit references to slavering in future to ensure decorum and good conduct in this chamber. To be serious, the growth of food and drink, as was remarked upon by Mr Day himself in his speech and by others across the chamber, has been quite remarkable. It is right, as members have done, to pay tribute to all those involved. I think that it is not least to farmers because we talk about food and drink in Scotland, and that does not mention farms or farmers. That is not in the phrase, but of course the farmers and crofters are the people who are actually producing the food. Therefore, I think that it is perhaps an emission that I did resolve to put right and will continue so to do. The quality of the food and drink produced in Scotland from our natural larder is at the key of the success that we have seen. I recognise, as has been said already, the leadership of my predecessor Richard Lochhead and, indeed, James Withers for the work that they have done, which I am proud to endeavour to continue. I think that we have in the Scottish Government been able, over recent times, to provide some practical assistance. For example, since 2008, 18 awards of food processing, marketing, co-operation and FPMC awards have been made. 18 to businesses in Angus alone, totaling £23.3 million. That is just in Angus. That shows that there has been a solid continuous contribution from the Scottish Government, one that I hope we can continue. We have seen a number of successful initiatives, and some of them have been mentioned. I think that local programme over the past few years has supported many initiatives to promote food such as food from Argyll. Connect local is a service that is delivered through a £3 million Government investment, which will support local food and drink producers individually and collectively. The plans to establish a national chef have been alluded to, and we will, of course, bring forward plans in a due course. That will further focus attention on that. The good food nation is an aspiration that I think will be shared by us all and has many strands to it so that it will become the norm for people in this country to take a keen interest in their food, so that people who serve and sell food from schools to hospitals, retailers, cafes and restaurants are committed to serving and selling good food. Everyone in Scotland has ready access to healthy, nutritious food that they need, especially children from disadvantaged circumstances and food such as fresh salmon from our excellent farmed salmon. It is one of Scotland's success stories, as I was saying, when opening aquaculture Europe in the EICC last evening and venison. It is underrated, but, nonetheless, most nutritious of all meat, I understand, where perhaps there are even more possibilities. The Scottish Food Commission was established by the Scottish Government in the wake of the good food nation discussion and is chaired by the estimable Shirley Spears of Three Chimneys fame. We are, I think, together, a cross-party working to promote the continuing success of Scotland's food and drink. Rhoda Grant mentioned the Harris de Sili, which had the pleasure of visiting this year, whilst in holiday, and partaking of some of the produce. I recommend it. All the other new distilleries—Gin and Whisky throughout the country—to all are another success story of recent years. I do not know whether it is an apocryphal or a true story that, on the formal night of the formal opening of the Harris distillery, which, of course, is producing excellent gin, consumed every drop of the product that they had distilled to that date. I do not know whether that is true. If it is not, it could possibly be defamatory if interpreted in a negative way, which, of course, I would not wish to do. However, seriously, the success of our craft brewers, some of which have grown to be to garner international fame, such as Brew Dog, the success of new distilleries throughout the country, supported by our enterprise network, I am pleased to say, with a bit of encouragement from people such as myself, have been part of the framework that has allowed us to see Scotland's food and drink industry go from strength to strength. My job is to carry on that work. I pledge to do so with people across the chamber. I value the support. I appreciate that it is particularly that it does not seem to have been infected by the virus of party politics. Perhaps I could close with the thought that of all the things that seem to unify us and dispel the somewhat partisan nature of our proceedings, there cannot be anything that does so with greater effect than food and drink. I finally pay tribute to all the people from Angus this evening that have achieved so much from that county and so much for their country. I was so busy thinking about what was going on at the Angus event that I forgot to turn my microphone on. I now close this meeting.