 Mae'r next item of business is a debate on motion 10406, in the name of Mary Goujon, on celebrating the resilience of Scotland's food and drink sector. I invite members wishing to participate to press the request to speak buttons as soon as possible. I call on the cabinet secretary to speak to and move the motion around 13 minutes. Thank you, Presiding Officer. I'm really grateful for the opportunity of this debate, which coincides with Food and Drink to highlight to Parliament the enduring value of our vibrant food and drink sector in Scotland to our national and local economies, as well as to our communities. Scotland produces some of the best and most recognisable food and drink in the world, and we must all recognise how vital it is to protect this iconic industry. Firstly, to place the sector in context, food and drink is Scotland's biggest export, second only to energy. In 2020, the sector generated a turnover of almost £15 billion and £5.4 billion in gross value added. In 2021, Scotland had around 17,450 food and drink businesses employing around 129,000 people. We should all take a moment to reflect on the sheer scale of the sector and its contribution to our overall economy. Vibrant and one-time seamless trade with the EU has also been extremely important for exporters, as well as consumers, as approximately 23 per cent of the food eaten in the UK is imported from the EU. We also mustn't lose sight, either, of the fact that food is a fundamental need for all of us. Our farmers, fishers, crofters, food manufacturers and producers are at the heart of our rural, coastal and island communities, and they contribute to Scotland's £15 billion food and drink industry. They all play a vital role in keeping this dynamic, complex at times fragile and highly interconnected sector operating to supply our food each and every day. They should be commended for their efforts as they continue to show that admirable resilience in the face of continued shocks, such as Brexit, climate change and the Ukraine conflict. The value of the food and drink sector cannot be overestimated. In this Parliament, debated in only in May the importance of our overall food security, including in the face of real and significant challenges. That debate highlighted that supply chains and sustainable food supplies are really coming more to the fore in public consciousness and that disrupted supply chains, including, for example, as a result of climate volatility, are something that we are likely to see more and more of in the future. Yes, I will. Rachael Hamilton. For taking the intervention, why does the Cabinet Secretary's party want to put a barrier between Gretna and Barrick, which would actually be disruptive, to 60 per cent of Scottish exports? Cabinet Secretary. We are not the Government that is putting barriers anywhere when it comes to trade. It is the UK Government that has done that through their determination to pursue a hard Brexit. I want to focus my opening remarks today on celebrating the successes of the sector. It is not possible to do that without first highlighting some of the fundamental challenges and referring to some key facts. In and of themselves, they serve to illustrate the resilience, versatility and the sheer ability of the sector to bounce back in the face of so many challenges. It is a fact that the hard Brexit pursued by the UK Government and its lingering effects has weakened our food and drink sector in so many ways. It has disrupted supply chains, helped to drive up food price inflation and led to trade deals that failed to prioritise Scottish interests. It is a fact that Brexit has caused significant labour recruitment issues for the food and drink sector. It is a fact that Brexit has impacted on our trading relationship with the EU, one of our most important trade partners and a major agri-food producer. Food imports from the EU into Scotland were down 18 per cent in 2022 compared to 2019 and this slowdown is particularly acute for fruit and vegetables, down 50 per cent and fish and seafood, down 66 per cent. Many Scottish food exports to the EU are also down, including a 38 per cent fall in fruit and vegetable exports between 2019 and 2022. It is a fact that our world-renowned Scottish salmon sector, the UK's number one food export, is being hampered by the UK Government's continued delays to its digitisation programme. It is a fact that recent research by the London School of Economics suggests that UK households have paid £7 billion to cover the cost of post-Brexit trade barriers on food imports from the EU, increasing average household food costs by £250 since December 2019. It is a fact that our agricultural sector, which underpins much of our food and drink, has been directly impacted by the lack of long-term future funding certainty. Our seven-year EU cap budgets have been reduced to yearly allocations from HM Treasury, only guaranteed for the current UK parliamentary term, not at the moment. The overwhelming majority of people in Scotland, of course, did not vote for any of this. The on-going economic damage of a UK Brexit-based economy demonstrates the importance of setting out an alternative, better future for Scotland. That is what the Scottish Government is doing through our building in new Scotland papers. We will continue with this work, including a series of forthcoming economic-themed speeches to demonstrate how, with independence, we can build a stronger economy, taking advantage of key sectors such as food and drink. I have urged the UK Government repeatedly to address the cumulative impacts that I have just outlined on the sector. I have further highlighted my significant concerns about new free trade agreements with New Zealand and Australia. The UK Government's own impact assessment highlighted that those deals would be detrimental to the agri-food sector. In stark contrast to that, an equivalent EU-New Zealand trade deal has been secured, but not at the same expense to domestic EU producers, particularly for beef and lamb, which it has protected so much better. That serves to illustrate that better arrangements are indeed possible. Yes. Finlay Carson. Thank you, Presiding Officer. Can I ask the cabinet secretary what she is doing to ensure that the critical mass of the beef production in Scotland is protected? The member will no doubt be aware of our commitments and into supporting our livestock sector in Scotland. Our commitment to supporting food production, which we are continuing to do through direct payments. I have already made that commitment clear in previous debates in this chamber. When it comes to the impacts of the trade deals that I have just outlined, you do not just need to take my word for it. An independent report by the Anderson Institute on the potential impact of Scottish agriculture of trade deals between the UK and Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the Gulf Cooperation Council concluded that the current UK Government trade approach will adversely affect our beef and sheep sectors, sectors vitally important to our rural and island communities. We can only hope that the UK Government will begin to listen to the concerns of the devolved Governments, industry and consumers. For example, I have asked the UK Government to use the opportunity of the recent independent review of labour shortages in the food chain in England to work together with the devolved Governments on its response. The sector is long highlighted to the UK Government that urgent changes to the immigration system are needed to address post-brexit labour shortages. It is already disappointing that this review focuses only on England, but I believe that it presents us with a watershed moment to work together to support the sector. I have urged the UK Government to take a collaborative and evidence-based approach to its response and on immigration policy in particular. While it is important to recognise those challenges, I do not want to dwell only on the negatives. As the end of Food and Drink Fortnite approaches, I want to use the opportunity of our debate today to celebrate the sector, to highlight its value to us all and to pay tribute to its successes. Food and Drink Fortnite is a reminder to all of us that there is an entire world of flavours and stories to discover right here in Scotland on our doorstep, the theme of this year's campaign. Scotland Food and Drink has worked closely with regional food groups and ambassadors to promote a line-up of regional events over the past few weeks, as well as spotlighting projects from across Scotland that stocked everywhere from restaurants and bars to delis and markets. I have undertaken a number of engagements myself from Leith to the Outer Hebrides to witness this first hand. I hope that the Fortnite will help to encourage more and more people to explore the fantastic products that are available right on their doorsteps. As I have highlighted, the fact that we have left the EU has caused significant problems for our farmers and food and drink industry. During the last five years, the industry has, of course, also had to deal with the pandemic and an on-going cost crisis. Yet, fundamentally, the food and drink sector is already a Scottish success story. As an employer and an exporter, they make a major contribution to the Scottish Government's missions of opportunity, equality and community. The Scottish Government is determined to work with the sector to help it to succeed further. We have provided the industry with £15 million to support its recovery plan to tackle challenges posed by Brexit and the pandemic. I need to make some more progress. Now that markets have reopened and the industry looks to grow in a changed world, we have added to that support with a further £5 million towards year 1 implementation of the new food and drink strategy sustaining Scotland supplying the world. That funding will, among other things, help us to showcase the industry to domestic and international buyers. It will support our efforts to train and reskill people, and it will enable us to share insights and develop solutions for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The new strategy outlines a vision of Scotland as the best place in the world to own, operate and work for a food and drink business, to be renowned as a world leader in sustainable production and responsible growth with resilient businesses across the entire supply chain can prosper. The strategy has eight distinct enablers for growth, all of which are significant and worthwhile, and I want to highlight two themes which I think are particularly important, the ambition that it shows and the emphasis on collaboration. The strategy focuses on resilience, sustainability and growth since it recognises that all three are essential to the future of the industry. It aims to ensure that industry can withstand shocks and it embraces and benefits from the journey to net zero. In relation to growth, the strategy sees major opportunities for producers in Scotland to increase their sales here at home in the rest of the UK and right around the world. It aims to ensure that the food and drink sector in Scotland grows more strongly than in competitor countries of similar size. The Scottish Government welcomes that level of ambition. However, we recognise that this strategy and the Government's support for it will only have the impact we want it to have if we continue to collaborate. We need to attract a skilled workforce, improve productivity, reduce our carbon emissions and market ourselves globally. The strategy sets out short, medium and long-term goals developed in collaboration with food and drink producers and others such as research institutions that have a focus on stability amidst that global turbulence. Overall, the aim of this 10-year plan with industry is that our approach and funding will help to shift the dial on food and drink sector growth in Scotland. In keeping with this collaborative theme that we confirmed just last week in our programme for government, a range of measures will be working very closely with the sector to enhance our support. For example, we will be developing our approach to future farming activity through engagement with key stakeholders to identify potential opportunities to increase sustainable production and markets for poultry and eggs, venison and seed potatoes. We have also said that we will host an international food summit that will help to bring much of our work together to enable us to build a brighter future for our rural communities and islands. I want to conclude by taking a moment to acknowledge and extend my gratitude to each and every business and individual who works to help to drive the growth of local sourcing and to keep this country fed. Producers large and small from farmers to fishers to regional food groups and dedicated retail and food service buyers. It is their tireless efforts that encourage people to buy Scottish produce and it is their dedication that helps us to build a brighter future for our rural communities and islands. And their passion for local produce and experiences inspires us all to take pride in our unique national heritage. I'm presiding officer with that and move the motion in my name. Thank you very much indeed, cabinet secretary. I get a reminder to those who haven't already pressed the buttons but are looking to speak in the debate to press the buttons as soon as possible. I call Rachel Hamilton to speak to it and move amendment 10406.2 around nine minutes with Hamilton. Thank you, Presiding Officer. I draw members to my register of interests as a director of a small business in the Borders. I'd like to join the cabinet secretary first and foremost in celebrating our food and drink sector today, although it did take her over seven minutes to get there. We have world-class food and drinks producers in the country and we should champion the people who make the industry such a success for Scotland and such an asset. It is right that we take the time to celebrate them today but the industry requires more from us than just celebration. It requires support, it requires certainty to plan for their future, it requires a workable and practical agricultural bill. The food and drinks sector has shown an enormous amount of resilience as the cabinet secretary said through global challenges like the pandemic and the economic impact of Russia's war in Ukraine. Resilience is rightly the focus of today's debate. Despite no mention of farmers in either or the SNP motion and barely a peep in the earlier programme for government from the First Minister, in recent years farmers the beating heart of the £15 billion food and drink industry have overcome damaging outbreaks of disease amongst livestock such as avian flu and dealt with severe water shortage that hit their crops hard yet those charged with the task of feeding the nation continued to be left in the dark over future support. The dither and delay over the new agricultural bill is wreaking havoc on the industry and we have to take our responsibility to them more seriously, give them clarity that they need quickly. Overcoming natural difficulties is one thing but the biggest challenge they face is one entirely of this SNP green government making. Farmers aren't the only ones waiting until the cows come home. We await the fate of Scotland short-term let sector which faces death by SNP green red tape sector that is entirely integral on providing good food and drink and supporting Scotland's important tourism sector. Scotland's fishing communities have also faced a turbulent year at the hands of this government having failed to learn the lessons of an 11 week ban a fishing ban imposed on Clyde communities without consultation or warning. The government's headlong rush of banning fishing in almost half of Scotland's waters would have been a complete disaster for our fishing industry. Sustainable fishing practice in Scotland have seen stocks of many of our favourite kinds of fishery bound in the recent years. Hardworking fishermen are landing thousands of tonnes of healthy high protein fish every year. Some of it even carbon neutral and already squeezed for space in the marine environment, the HPMA plans would have decimated this industry decimated coastal communities on which so many of Scotland's coastal communities have relied on for centuries. We expected these plans to be scrapped but they in my view have merely been postponed. Until these plans are scrapped completely and the government go back to the drawing board the fishing industry will continue to worry about its future. Our drinks sector has faced an equally difficult period having been forced to adapt to legislative changes like minimum unit pricing and the threat of unworkable deposit return scheme or preventing whisky distilleries from painting their names on the side of the outside of their walls. From now, both the fishing industry and the drinks sector have been saved by the strength of their voice in opposing these plans and the legislative incompetence of this government who are trying to implement such imposition. However, my intention today is not to dwell on where the Scottish Government has let down the food and drinks industry but to talk about the opportunities that lie ahead if we start to get things right. At the Royal Highland show this year I launched my plans for Scotland's food future. This policy paper has been welcomed across the board. It's a positive step from stakeholders talking about the policy proposals that are in this paper from farmers to wholesalers and vet suppliers to council officers. My plan would support Scotland's rural communities to secure jobs and livelihoods and a viable future for our food and drinks producers alongside farmers, crofters and fishermen. It would place food production at the heart of the new agricultural bill while investing in producers to keep food prices affordable for consumers. It would allow farmers to produce more top quality food right here in Scotland and bring in more local jobs for processing and transport and abattoirs. It would bolster support for technology and innovation to help improve the UK's world-leading standards on health, the environment and animal welfare. Those plans include key policy objectives like helping councils support local producers by introducing 6060 targets, 60% of food procured by every mainland local authority from within 60 miles of a local authority area. Buying locally means stronger local economies, healthier foods and less imports leading to lower emissions, which is what we all want to achieve. I believe this was an opportunity missed in the good food nation bill by the Cabinet Secretary and key amendments that would have supported a lot of the policy were missed, yes of course. Emma Harper I'm not sure if you've mentioned the word Brexit yet, but I'm just wondering if you are going to address the issue of how Brexit has failed our farmers across the UK and Scotland of course. Emma Harper continues to talk down her constituency in Dumfries and Galloway and the SNP would be better to support farmers, give them clarity over their future. They would be better to realise the opportunities that have been forwarded by trade deals and what we are able to do now we have left the EU. I would like Emma Harper to go and speak to her constituents to ask them if they are holding them back by aligning with Europe and not adopting new technology with gene editing. We all share our food heroes and I am lucky in my border's constituency to have so many fantastic producers of beef, peel and farm so many outstanding local businesses from the bread maker in Coldstream, hunters the bread makers in Hoïc to sell cut distillery, the border's distillery and Jack a Patsy's ice cream in iMouth. I'm biased and my colleagues may protest but in my books the borders produces the best food in the country and wouldn't it be great to see more borders produced in schools, in hospitals, in council canteens as I'm sure many people here today share their own passion in their constituencies. The paper that I discussed also discusses how gene editing could enable farmers to naturally to improve the reliability and nutritional value of the food they produce while reducing the resources required to produce it. This technology would cut emissions it would boost yields as my colleagues will come on to this in particular Finlay Carson this technology would make a real difference to people's lives every day it would allow farmers to pass on their savings and efficiency to allow them to be part of the solution to tackling poverty. The improved yields would reduce our reliance on costly foreign inputs flown in from abroad whilst helping local businesses expand creating more jobs for local communities and the only way that stands in the way of this innovation is ideological opposition now that even the European Union has moved on from if this government wants to show its appreciation to our food and drink population I can think of no better way than supporting our plans the conservative plans we actually have a plan rather than any of these benches over here who have no plan, no clarity they need to bring forward a genetic technology bill they need to bring forward agricultural policy and in conclusion Scotland's food and drink sector is pivotal to our economy to our national economy to our local economy and despite enduring recent global challenges and economic mismanagement by this SNP green lot then let's celebrate their resilience during Scottish food and drink fortnight by eating some local produce delicious local produce on our own doorsteps thank you I'll move your amendment please I'll move the amendment in my name much obliged, thank you very much and I call on Rhoda Grant to speak to a move amendment 10406.1 around seven minutes Ms Grant thank you Presiding Officer and I move the amendment in my name that saves me for getting later on I really welcome this debate because it underlines the importance of the food and drink sector to Scotland and I believe we should have colours that underline our production system we need food security 60% of our food is home produced we're importing 40% it needs to be climate friendly it needs to provide a fair deal for workers and we need to recognise it as the economic driver it is with regard to food security it is absolutely unacceptable that we have so many people who are dependent on food banks the Trussell Trust told us that 259,744 food parcels were delivered in 2223 and that's a 50% increase from 1718 that's a disgrace the good food nation bill now an act could have dealt with that it should have enshrined the human right to food and it should have empowered Food Scotland to implement that human right I'm still determined to bring forward a bill that will do that so that we can be freed from the scourge of food banks and food insecurity food insecurity and food banks and food poverty actually are a problem for us all because we see the health issues that are being raised because of the lack of nourishing food we're seeing obesity rates increase we're seeing the return of diseases such as rickets coming back into our community that is a cost to all of us and that is because people cannot afford good nutritious food the Scottish Government talked about a plan to end food banks that was last year we're still waiting for the promised plan hopefully before this winter so that we can end people's dependence on the dehumanising process of going to a food bank and I would urge all MSPs who see the obscenity of a rich country having families dependent on food banks to join me to bring an end to that the war in Ukraine has also shown us how important our national food security is we need to produce more than 60 per cent of our own food for our national security we need to cut carbon miles for local economies and if we looked at things like procurement local procurement this is a labour policy to make sure that 50 per cent of food procured by public bodies should be coming from local procurement and we need to do that to support our farming industry and our food and drinks sector with regard to the climate we have a lot to offer and our meals are grass fed which actually sequestrates carbon putting higher standards on our own grass fed animals in order to cut the number we produce that then means importing others from elsewhere which are not having the same taking the responsibilities towards the climate so seriously actually is counterproductive we need to look at innovation of course because we need to reach net zero both within our food production so we need to make sure that we have things like carbon recycling something that the rural committee looked at quite recently and we also need to make sure that we have the right pipeline jobs things like local abattoirs that allow us to make use of local produce as close to home as possible that cuts transport but we need to make sure those pipeline jobs are there to support our industry with regard to fishing we need to make sure that we are fishing sustainably we need to use our powers over our seas to ensure that we have selective gear we need to cut by catch and where there is by catch it needs to be landed and used because we can't afford the waste and we need to make sure that policies such as the HPMAs that targeted the most sustainable world again we also need to look at the people who produce our food and drink the bakers union talked about many of their members depending on food banks and that's surely wrong people who are baking and producing our food are themselves having to go to food banks to eat and there's also insecure working we need to have a new deal for working people and zero air contracts outlawing, firing and rehiring and producing security at work giving people the full rights from day one and that's why we deal with our labour shortage because if we make that job more attractive we make sure that it is better paid then we will get the workers to carry out those jobs we also have to remind ourselves that food and drink is so important in the economy, £8.1 billion in exports many of us know that Scotch whisky is responsible for much of this and I'm very lucky representing the highlands and islands and indeed much of the whisky producing parts of Scotland and certainly the best whisky producing parts of Scotland but we've also got other quality food I need to mention Orkney cheese, Shetland lamb, Stornoway black pudding to name a few because they are so important this sector employs 48,000 people and there are and indirectly supports another 300,000 jobs it is of critical importance to our country we I'm disappointed that this debate seems to have come down between Brexit and not Brexit Brexit of course brought issues and problems but we need to find ways through them and the Scottish Government cannot just simply blame Brexit for their own shortcomings we need to look and give consideration of course to gene editing as well and see what benefits it could bring to food production we need a joint I am in my last minute I can give you a little bit of time but not an awful lot enough for a brief intervention I agree with Rhoda Grant the SNP would have us believe that Europe is close to us but Scottish salmon exports in the beginning of 2023 increased by 9% so I totally agree with you about their arguments around Brexit Rhoda Grant I don't think I said that Brexit was a good thing far from it we need to be able to export and at the moment we are importing without barriers but not exporting without barriers and we need to sort that out we need an all-round policy people talked about the agriculture bill we've got the human right to food we've got good food nation plans coming up we need a joined up policy because the Scottish Government doesn't use their powers to the maximum they've missed an opportunity to join up food and drink policy they've missed the opportunity to enshrine the right to food nation act and they've made no progress in dealing with food poverty opportunity squandered they could have improved the nation's health and economy thank you Ms Grant I now call Beatrice Wishart around six minutes Scotland's food and drink sector as has been mentioned by other speakers deserves praise up and down the food chain from field to fork for its resilience especially acute in the past few years with Brexit, Covid the cost of living crisis battering the sector from all angles and the challenges of climate change a combination of the uncertainty after Brexit the pandemic and most acutely Russia's invasion of Ukraine have pushed prices up worldwide basic ingredients have shot up in costs due to less availability with disruption to growing and distribution out of Ukraine rightful anti-invasion boycotts of energy produced in Russia has impacted European farmers and growers as well as the supply chain with increased energy and fuel costs a spike in fertiliser costs up to 180 per cent year on year between April 21 and 2022 is a stark figure illustrating the challenge we're beginning to see prices fall but not before NFU Scotland highlighted the astronomically high profits in the fertiliser industry I agree with the Government's motion that the hard Brexit negotiated by the UK Government has created some serious long-term harms including labour shortages new barriers to trade for Scottish food and drink exporters and contribute to inflation rises in food and supply chain costs it's ironically due to the preparation for such a hard Brexit that the sector was able to be so resilient during the Covid-19 pandemic we cannot overstate the success of the sector during the Covid emergency and nor can I appropriately convey the thanks of people across the country to all those involved who managed to keep food on the shelves during that fraught time the hard Brexit negotiated will continue to impact on the sector for many years labour shortages risk leaving food rotting in the fields, barriers to trade makes higher prices more likely and more paperwork burdens fresh food exporters slowing down exports the sector has also held up against the stumblings of this green SNP Government self-inflicted uncertainty over the post-Brexit agriculture settlement is causing serious concern for a sector facing bombardment from multiple angles seven years on from the Brexit vote and two years after formally leaving the European Union the framework bill for the post-Brexit policy is still to go through stage 1 of Parliament and once the framework is in place we will still have to await the final outcome crofters, farmers and growers need clarity uncertainty so they can innovate diversify, take advantage of new technologies and generally plan for the future the introduction of the bill is long overdue then there was the highly protected marine areas policy causing distress among Scotland's coastal and island communities people in places that are reliant on livelihoods from fish catching and processing and without which could see dramatic depopulation as disruption felt its way through the supply chain the hard work of individuals and organisations representing voices up and down Scotland thankfully saw off the original HBMA proposals we await the next iteration of this policy but the Scottish Government must work closely with coastal and island communities to ensure that along with robust scientific evidence the voices of those to be most impacted are not just heard but listened to a lot of damage was done by the Scottish Government in pursuit of HBMAs and it will take some time to rebuild trust then there was the Scottish deposit return scheme the DRS a good idea botched and then abandoned working together on a UK-wide DRS will help Scottish businesses who sell products across the UK businesses with valid concerns that the DRS would be detrimental fear of forced closure distraction from important day-to-day work expense in trying to adhere to the plans the Scottish Government will again have to build up trust among the food and drink sector and other businesses the ferry fiasco has highlighted the need for connectivity and the impact on business in communities where it is lacking the Northern Isles are great exporters of seafood, shellfish, salmon ornibee, Shetland lamb we produce whisky and gin too inter-island tunnels in Shetland would also sp... if I have time just very quickly I absolutely agree with the member and coming from the Northern Isles myself I appreciate what she's saying does she also recognise the importance of local abattoir facilities I know the Shetland livestock marketing group operate one in there but many of our island communities remote and rural communities don't have access to one which he agreed that they're vitally important for our producers I certainly would agree with that point inter-island tunnels in Shetland would help speed up export time for fresh produce to catch the nightly external ferry to Aberdeen an odd one transport connections to the mainland in Europe some Shetland salmon finds its way to the far east Scottish salmon's top three markets are in France, China and the USA but we need to balance this with greater ferry freight capacity around this time of year my colleague Liam McArthur and I speak about the pinch points in freight capacity for the livestock season predictable but usually seemingly unprepared for by Transport Scotland the limit of Shetland and Orkney's contribution to the Scottish and UK economy is often connectivity, transport and digital national infrastructure investments could unlock so much more potential to conclude crofters, growers, farmers, aquaculture fishing, the seafood sector whisky, the full supply chain even the corner shop not to mention island and coastal communities have all been put through the ringer by the Scottish Government in the past 12 months that should not be how a modern progressive representative government acts what comes next must be better for our Scottish food and drink sector of which we should all be very proud Thank you, Presiding Officer Thank you very much, Ms Wishart We now move to the open debate I call 1st Christine Grahame to be followed by Edward Mountain around six minutes, Ms Grahame Thank you very much, Deputy Presiding Officer Before I elaborate on the significance to the local economy of the food and drink sector in my constituency with examples of many small producers and I include hospitality which plays a significant role too using local supplies and through its food services promoting Scottish produce I first want to mention the impact of Covid and Brexit on the hospitality sector The hit the sector took with pandemic closures and then restrictions were substantial notwithstanding some financial support both at UK and Scottish Government levels some such as Stobospa which of course also serves food closed completely and took the opportunity to refurbish as did the central bar in people's very small pub which could not comply with the requirement to serve food so it too closed and it also just underwent some refurbishment Indeed, some businesses have yet to see their bank balances recover so we mustn't forget the substantial impact of Covid Brexit too has impacted with several of my local hotels telling me they are unable to find staff who formerly came from the EU limiting their services to customers though not cheap about Brexit a very grumpy contribution from Rachel Hamilton and there are businesses which pride themselves in having as much local produce in their menus as is feasible yes as I've mentioned in dispatches of course I'm sure Christine Grahame has forgotten that I have a glowing smile for her but I want to ask her if she agrees with me that to attract more people to Scotland we need to ensure that there is sufficient housing for people we need to make Scotland an attractive place and that means not making it the highest tax part of the UK Christine Grahame, I'll give the time back Perhaps the reason some of them didn't mention Brexit as an independent report has shown that one third of the UK food price inflation since 2019 because of regulatory sanitary and other border controls has added 7 billion to domestic household bills so far about it turning now to the producers small to medium enterprises which are the backbone of Scotland's food and drink sector there is the independent award winning craft brewery brought nails a brewery established in 1979 with its range of beers in the village of Broughton it was the first initiated Scottish micro brewery appealing to customers looking for a new craft beer the old jock Scotchale and Stout jock available in pubs in Edinburgh and elsewhere it's also available online on the same topic there's more beer to be had at Turquere I have a theme Mr Mountain Turquere house brewery lies in the wing of Turquere house directly underneath the chapel the house is extraordinary Scotland's oldest inhabited house visited by 27 Scottish kings and queens the brewery dates back to the 1700s and was originally a domestic brewery serving the house in the estate disused never dismantled graduates filling up with family rubbish but it was rediscovered by Peter Maxwell Stewart in the 1960s and today it continues to be run by the family with beers entitled unsurprisingly Turquere house ale and the also appropriately named Turquere Jacobite ale it exports 50% of its production both businesses I've had the pleasure in visiting I get my time back certainly I'm not unhappy about this I don't have any samples for you I apologise for interrupting a trip through Christine Graham's Friday night pub crawl I was just wondering how much impact those breweries were impacted by the deposit return scheme how much preparation they had to put in on investment that has affected them Christine Graham I've not been impacted and you do know that I raised the issue of these businesses during DRS and I'm not unhappy to say that and I'm glad it's being revisited there were issues so you didn't catch me out there are producers of honey too from the large estate such as the Duke of Northumberland's Burncastle estate what I actually passed a trailer load of hives being taken from there back to Dumfries after the bees had finished feeding off the heather I still have a pot at home at Honey, not the bees then there are the farms across my constituency stretching from the Eildon hills to the Pentland hills mostly sheep farming there's some mix such as at Banningsgill a hill farm in the southern Pentland hills near West Linton 4,000 acres of heather covered hills populated by 1,400 hardy black quay sheep along with a small fold of Pentland cattle the family have farmed there since 1912 and it remains a family farm with four generations currently living there I would add there's one of the many farms and indeed the states I've also visited in my many years here it was on one of those Pentland farms I learned here I'm into dangerous territory that on some farms sheep congregate in hefts I hope I've remembered correctly and hefts defend their patch with vigor a very accessible websites where you can order although it seems that the whole beef and whole lamb at Banningsgill already sold out now the important thing about mentioning these these are businesses embedded in the community committed to the community committed to Scotland they're not here today gone tomorrow multinationals they don't have to get 75 million to set up a car factory somewhere in England they are family enterprises and they are the backbone of Scotland's economy but back to hospitality to conclude which I repeat endured a tough two years of Covid and is still on the road to recovery recently I completed my annual summer surgery tour of villages and apart from picking up lots of cases on local issues, I also of course had to eat and where else and I will mention two places lunch at Bert's Hotel Melrose I recommend the Kegery and at Caverston Caffee and Walkerburn you cannot resist the homemade soup and cake there you are unashamedly promoting and publicising a sample of what my constituency brings to the table and seriously to the local and the Scottish economy which we should support and celebrate thank you I'm sure you'd be welcome back to both hostories what time we had in hand has now been exhausted I'm going to invite members to stick broadly to their speaking time allowances and I call Edward Mountain to be followed up to six minutes Mr Mone thank you very much Presiding Officer and before I start this I would like to remind members of my register of interest in that I'm a member of a family farming partnership producing food sadly not drink for the people of Scotland indirectly drink through barley but not drink and I also have an interest in a salmon fishery which provides nothing as far as food to the economy I want to start off we often have these debates in the parliament which are quite interesting we come here and we talk about how wonderful the government's doing something and how everyone else is then to blame for the failures I think that's actually the wrong way of doing it I think what we should be doing is coming to the chamber and talking about the challenges that the industry face and how the government is going to address them when it comes to agriculture I think agriculture has risen to the challenges by goodness they've had them in the last few years Beatrice Wishart mentioned that prices have gone through the roof fertilisers gone from £265 a tonne to over £1,200 a tonne dropping back £600 a tonne this year that's been reflected in sea cost, spray cost, fuel labour cost all of that has gone up and it's been a real challenge for farmers farmers have been hanging on by their nails to the businesses that they are working in and the problem is they're not seeing the extra cost being met by real farmgate prices we haven't really seen the increase that we should have done and perhaps for the consumer that's a good thing because it's kept prices for food lower than they would be if the prices have been passed on we've seen beef prices rise but they're now falling and the beef herd is indeed falling as I think was made by my colleague earlier and the question that was raised by Jim Walker when he came to the Ray committee was whether it's going to be sustainable into the future we need it sustainable we need beef because we can't eat trees and we need to consider that and when it comes to working in the farming industry we need to understand it's not purely Brexit that's causing a problem finding labour has always been difficult it's not a four day week working on the farm it's a full time life working on the farm who wants to be up at two o'clock in the morning trying to deliver a difficult cow probably getting a kick for the privilege it's much easier working a four day week in another sector that puts people off working in the farming industry but that is what farming is all about and we need to encourage people to work in the farming sector by making it easier for new entrants we haven't done that we've confused the marketplace making it difficult with new tenancy legislation and we should have had an agriculture bill last year cabinet secretary the chairman of the climate change committee said that NFU has said it farmers have said it and the only one that believes it's not required I think is you now we've seen other industries expanding and I think the whisky industry is a good example it's really paid its part it's become bigger it's employing lots of people but they do need to protect their primary suppliers their primary suppliers are thinking is it easier to produce rye to go into anaerobic digestion system or to produce barley if distilleries don't make it attractive for farmers to produce barley they will not be able to source Scottish barley and I also have to say I believe that the Scottish whisky industry needs to address some of the net zero problems they face not only with the cooling water but also the heat that they're using in their process I want to deal with the other industry which I find the most disappointing and that's the aquaculture industry I have tried during my time in this parliament to be supportive of the aquaculture industry there are 205 farms across Scotland and they generate a huge amount of income they are without doubt the employers and when the rec committee considered all the things that they brought to the economy we were clear that they have a significant place in the Scottish food industry but but since 2017 the amount of deaths of salmon in salmon farms have increased substantially we are now at a stage where 36,000 lans of salmon are destroyed annually that is not acceptable it shouldn't be acceptable and we shouldn't allow it to be acceptable just in this year alone I think in the month of June we saw that 9% sorry 8% of all the fish in Loughlinny farm died 9.2% of all the fish in Kishorn farm died in fact 25% of all fish died before they reached the table and what's worse some of them are dying when they're harvested and they still reached the table I'm afraid the agriculture industry has a lot to do to rise to the challenges there were 65 recommendations in the rec report that asked them to rise to those challenges and we were told by evidence in evidence from people like Ben Hatfield that they were humbled by evidence that they faced and would rise to the challenge the only rise we've seen to the challenge in the last 6 years since he gave evidence sorry 5 years since he gave evidence is 168% increase in the use of antibiotics at sea that to me is unacceptable so presiding officer my time is short what I would say in conclusion is there is much we can do but there is much we need to do let's concentrate on some of the failings so we can get them right and make Scotland's food and drink industry the best in the world thank you Mr Mountain and I call Michelle Thompson to be followed by Colin Smith up to 6 minutes, Ms Thompson thank you Presiding Officer this year at the Royal Highland show an industry led strategy which aims for 25% increase in turnover for Scotland's food and drink sector by 2028 it was published as an aside I have to mention it but it is not the first time the food and drink sector in Scotland has partnered an SNP Government whilst there was some encouraging work done by the previous Labour-Lib Dem Coalition it was a national food and drink policy created in conjunction with the industry led by Richard Lochhead in 2008 which set out the ambition of making the industry then worth 13 billion to the Scottish economy by 2013 and of course for many years it was our fastest growing sector with an emphasis on ambition innovation and a real drive to promote the quality of brand Scotland that partnership helped create a feel good factor an attitude that the sector was important that government was listening and valued the industry the rapid and very visible success was at first celebrated and then viewed with just a hint of jealousy from down south this ever rising tide brand Scotland carrying the banner of the saltire and our Scottish grown and manufactured products the confidence and huge growth in numbers of small artisan producers and the diversification of farms were seized upon by consumers either accessed at the growing number of farmer markets and farmer shops and then by the ultimate marketing machines the supermarkets and I remember the days when the likes of Tesco had huge saltires outside of their walls and pictures of real farmers smiling into the camera hanging up in their stores they better than anyone recognised the marketing potency and power of that combination the hardworking quality driven farmer for Scotland with a worldwide reputation for high standards and welfare and stockmanship this was a marketing dream to be capitalised on multiple products were given all our meat products, our game our dairy products and even our tablet shortbread Scotland's food and drink spoke of provenance and quality and of course this home grown increase in output led to hugely increased exports the quality of the products added to the branding of Scotland and a successful food and drink sector was marketed as a land of mystery mountains swirling peaty waters and misty hills joined by a land of food and drink they say imitation is the greatest form of flattery and in 2015 we saw the substantial imitation of the Scotland food and drink strategy emerging from a UK Government in 2015 the UK Government launched its very own rule Britannia-esque union jack bedecked food and drink strategy and arguably attempting to subsume Bran Scotland into Bran Britain the problem for them was and still is that Bran Scotland carries so much more weight than Bran Britain this is simply because post Brexit Britain is not trusted on the global stage now the Tory motion talks about challenges and opportunities of Brexit now wonder I would ask what the sheep farmers in Scotland think of the opportunity with our borders now being wide open to unlimited volumes of much cheaper antipody in lamb the Labour motions talk of harnessing the power of the Scottish office and resetting our relationship with the EU what they mean is business as usual forget about Westminster forget about Brexit rather just let Westminster call the shots and promote Scotland only if it suits their agenda and not when it suits our agenda the business drink export at Scotch Whiskey is to be taxed to the levels that the UK Government have recently done then a phenomenal power of that taxation should be used right here in Scotland to help our industry continue to drive innovation, resilience and ambition it should be helping us to tackle the scourge of poverty that blights so many of their communities not swallowed up in Brexit Britain's desperate attempts at international relevance I wish the strategy every success working in partnership with this SNP Government it's clear that the industry has a massive role to play in being a driving force for good as Scotland progresses towards regaining our independence Colin Smyth to be followed by Karen Adam up to six minutes Mr Smyth I'm pleased that Scotland Food and Drink have made the theme of this year's food and drink fortnight discovering what's on your doorstep the summer recess has been a great opportunity for me to do just that I've had the privilege of visiting dozens of local producers and processors hopefully shining a light on the growing importance of that local provenance from a visit to Galloway Lodge preserves along with the Food and Drink Federation to numerous agricultural shows country fairs, local farms, farmers markets fishing ports, hotels, a distillery or two with the Scotch Whiskey Association and this weekend I'll have the pleasure of attending the Strunrar Oyster Festival it's been a delight to eat and drink my way across a wonderful region once again this summer and I want to place on record my thanks to the Food and Drink sector in South Scotland our farmers, our fishers, shop workers processors, wholesalers and deliverers all part of the 18,000 Food and Drink businesses in Scotland turning over £14 billion a year employing more than 115,000 people along the way a real success story we should be proud of but on that journey I've had over the summer it's fair to say there's been no shortage of issues raised recruitment remains immensely challenging one major hotel a visiting the borders told me they weren't running at capacity not because of a lack of demand but because of a lack of staff and these were skilled well paid posts that remain unfilled unquestionably the wholly inadequate immigration policy put in place by the UK Government post Brexit is having an impact such that short city decision not to include chefs on the shortage occupation list but changing that policy alone won't be enough we need an end to a year on your cuts to colleges which is eroding that skilled workforce better reskilling opportunities for older workers and more campaigns such as the hospitality risings campaign Rise Fast Work Young to highlight the often hidden positive career opportunities that exist in the sector unless we address the chronic housing shortage as well especially in rural areas I'll continue to meet businesses such as those in Dumfries and Galloway I spoke to during the summer who told me that even when they find staff who want to take up posts the appointments often fall through because there's no affordable housing nearby and continued cuts to bus services and those same rural communities simply adds to the recruitment barriers many businesses face but there's also a role for the sector in these post pandemic times where many people are evaluating their life choices if you're still a business offering just a minimum wage and you still think zero hours contracts are a positive destination then frankly you're not going to be able to recruit In my many farm visits during the summer the uncertain to over future funding mechanisms from the Scottish Government and the lack of detail of what will be expected of farmers in order to secure that funding remains the main concern and there's still anger from our fishers over the shambolic handling of HPMAs and in the small producers I met who are the backbone of the food and drink sector in my region not surprisingly they highlighted the impact of cost increases caused by spiral inflation which many had to absorb because of that lag between cost and price rises that's why practical support from the Scottish Government such as reinstating the food process and marketing incorporation grant is more important now than it ever has been if we're going to maintain the growth in the sector that we all want to see and taking a more strategic approach to food and drink policy is also vital it's disappointing that 15 months since this Parliament passed the good food nations bill the Scottish Government have failed to publish a draft good food nations plan for consultation so I hope in our closing comments the cabinet secretary will tell us when we will see that draft plan that plan needs to show how we embed farming and food production at every level of education have a far bigger focus on procuring and promoting local food and drink the Scottish Government local authorities and national health service and other public bodies spend over 14.5 billion pounds a year on services, works and goods including food but for too long public procurement has had too narrow a focus on price and cost reduction we will fail to maximise the benefits of low carbon local supply chains which is why we should ensure discovering what's on your doorstep to slogan but instead have a clear target of 50% for the level of local sustainable food bought by the public sector as proposed by Labour local procurement not only supports local businesses it also reduces our carbon footprint and reduces poverty the importance of food and drink goes beyond their crucial economic importance impacts on our health our environment, our record on animal welfare and on tackling poverty for far too long far too many people in Scotland have lack adequate access to good nutritious food exposing the gross inequalities that we face today although our food and drink sector in Scotland has grown so too has the scandal of food poverty it's absolutely right that we celebrate the success of Scotland's food and drink sector and we support the continued growth of what is a good success story but we also need to rethink how we approach access to food the failure to enshrine in law to food when the good food nations bill was passed 15 months ago was a missed opportunity this Parliament can change that by backing Labour's right to food bill that Rhoda Grant will bring forward in a nation that provides so much outstanding food and drink it's to all ashamed that so many children in Scotland still go to bed hungry at night that the use of food banks is at record levels and that many of those who work to put food on the tables in restaurants struggle to pay for food to put on their own families tables this is a scandal that needs to end Thank you Mr Smith and now I call Karen Adam to be followed by Ari Amberg just up to six minutes Miss Adam Thank you Presiding Officer and I'm grateful to speak in this vitally important debate today I have been privileged to visit with many stakeholders from across Scotland's rural and seafood industries from the catching to the processing to the trading and beyond and what was clear is that their successes are essential to the Scottish economy and of course the local economy of my constituency of Bampshire and Bucking Coast when the local sector thrives so does local businesses families move in and support the population and families mean Labour to support education health and many other critical public support roles and indeed it's not really far reaching to suggest that our food and drink industries sustain not just our physical bodies but it also sustains our communities and gives us to a wide range of other Scottish industries and sectors I love the visualisation that the story of our seafood industry is woven into the rich tapestry of Scotland's history without it the coastal communities like the ones I represent simply wouldn't exist each of them is a testament to local ingenuity and a story of a human's commitment to provide our seafood sector is a cornerstone of seafood not just here but globally in my constituency in Peterhead home to the largest fishing port in the UK and Europe's largest fishing white fishing port it is a hive of Scotland's seafood industry and there's been a harbour at Peterhead for more than 400 years and throughout the centuries the success of the town has been closely linked to the level of maritime trade and activity as I met with representatives of the fish market I was able to witness very early in the morning the enormous undertaking and organisation which makes it apparent that it's no ordinary marketplace it's a testament to Scotland's enterprise and its role in the global food economy on Saturday I had a fantastic day out at SeaFest in Peterhead and it was great to see Cabinet Secretary Marie Gougeon there as well enjoying the blue tune as we call it now for the festival being the first one it was an incredible success and this wasn't just a food festival it was a showcase of what we have to offer and by the vast attendance numbers and the diversity of those who came to visit it was apparent that there is a hunger excuse upon to celebrate what we have locally from young to old there was a true community spirit of pride and a desire to educate on what we have this intergenerational conversation on issues concerning our rural communities is needed today more than ever and at the tour of show in August I met with NFUS and discussed how we can better incorporate the topics of fishing farming and food security into our education system to entice our younger generations to continue and of course I'm sure approve upon what we have and I look forward to working with them in the years to come on that very issue farming and fishing are rapidly evolving industries and what is abundantly clear is that our food and drink particularly our seafood sector play a leading role in supporting Scotland to thrive both at home and abroad on a local level the opportunities provided by fishing are invaluable from catching to processing packing to marketing our blue economy offers those opportunities in abundance and while first and foremost we are talking about food the Scottish fish sector is essential to Scotland's soft power on stage and what does that soft power look like in numbers well put frankly fish and seafood is Scotland's primary food export in 2021 Scottish exports of fish and seafood were valued at £1 billion or 204,000 tonnes and accounted for 60% of the total food exports it also accounted for 63% of total UK fish and seafood and while I'd loved nothing more than to reel off success after success I must spend a moment discussing the many concerns that have been raised with me by farmers and fishers since I was elected and if we are to ensure the security of good quality Scottish food and drink is incumbent on all of us in the chamber today to listen carefully to those concerns and address them and among them Brexit continues to be the number one concern the loss of freedom of movement and the free trade has done untold damage to our rural economy our prized seafood industry has been hit with an estimated 50% increase in the cost of packaging items sent to the EU some shellfish exporters have estimated that the new barriers to trade with the EU have resulted in additional costs of £5 to £600 per consignment making some exports unviable in fact and have told us that post-Brexit labour shortages are having a huge impact on the seafood processing sector with many businesses and I quote turning down growth opportunities due to a lack of labour if the UK Government or Labour opposition in London won't listen perhaps our colleagues could pass on the message of Mike Park, chief executive of the Scottish Whitefish Producers Association talking on Brexit he said we were the poster boys we wanted out but a lot have now reassessed their enthusiasm for Brexit because it has delivered nothing it has left some very negative legacies and hasn't provided any of the positives we were promised in conclusion I want to acknowledge the harsh realities facing the sector Ms Adam, please resume your seat for a second could I have less chitchat across the benches thank you, please resume in conclusion I want to acknowledge the harsh realities facing the sector but I pay tribute to those who have worked on pushing ahead while bearing the weight of Tory political decisions and I say thank you for sustaining us throughout all and we celebrate your resilience, thank you thank you, Ms Adam I now call Arianne Bridges to be followed by Emma Harper Ms Bridges thank you, Presiding Officer I'm delighted to speak in this important debate and I speak in this chamber at a time once again when we are still in a climate and nature emergency we saw what a real emergency response looks like during the pandemic scientists say that the climate and nature crisis will cause even more damage than Covid so let's show the way let's act like our future depends on it and of course food and drink are inextricably linked to climate and biodiversity our farmers and crofters know better than most how changing weather patterns affect crops, how water scarcity can impact production and how heat stress affects livestock and dairy yields we all notice the veg shortages in February this year which the British retail consortium put down to difficult weather conditions in the south of Europe and Northern Africa Scotland's farming, fishing, food and drink sector is a tremendous asset to our country we have already been said about its 15 billion contribution to our economy and the 120,000 people employs many in rural communities but to continue thriving in a climate changing world while reducing its own significant contribution to the climate and nature crisis our food sector has to adapt it must be fully supported and incentivised to do so changing can be daunting but not changing is not an option the world is turning and we can't stand still we all have a stake in a food system that works for the public for the planet and for producers so we need a national conversation about what we want our food system to look like do we want to produce more of our own food in Scotland what is the right balance and self-sufficiency should we use more of our land to grow our own food or do we benefit more from producing crops for whisky and animal feed how can we increase our resilience the coming years will provide a golden opportunity to shape and strengthen our food system with the forthcoming agricultural bill and payment framework just transition policies for the agriculture and marine sectors the good food nation plans which have already been mentioned I'm proud to have played my part in shaping the good food nation act in shining principles like the role of a sustainable food system resilient supply chains and the right to food the resulting public sector plans will be powerful tools for influencing what food is produced to what standards where it is sold and how much it costs and how it gets on our place for example local authorities could establish procurement contracts with local providers of wild venison organic fruit and veg and selectively sour seafood this would give smaller producers a steady income increase the market for these sustainable products and encourage others to move into production creating a virtuous circle I'd also love to see good food nation plans include support for networks like the Highland Good Food Partnership which supports local businesses and encourages collaboration for community food growing food banks and tackling food waste I'm going to keep going, thank you and tackling food waste networks like these show how food can really bring community together I want to focus now on some of the primary producers of our food the fruit and veg growers the horticulturalists and market gardeners who work hard to grow food for our shops, our veg boxes and our dinner tables these are key workers in green jobs but many don't receive the public funding that other farmers get if they're farmers too small or if they don't keep livestock or depending on the type of land they farm fruit and veg growers deserve more support and this should be reflected in the new farm payment framework that will follow next year's agricultural bill it's fantastic that the Scottish Government has extended funding for the fruit and vegetable aid scheme providing up to 16 million pounds over the next two years through producer organisations but most of this doesn't make its way to small producers more support for market gardens and large fruit and veg farms would create thousands of good green rural jobs and contribute millions to our rural economy it would also ensure that public money is delivering public goods healthy sustainable food for people in Scotland to conclude I want to thank everyone working in Scotland's food and drink sector you are all playing an important role in feeding the nation and or contributing to our economy that's why we must use leavers like the good food nation plans farm support payments and other public funding wisely to support the whole sector to adapt in a changing world to increase its resilience and to thrive as we become truly a good food nation I welcome the opportunity to speak in this debate to value Scotland's world-class food and drink sector particularly during Scottish food and drink fortnight Scotland's food and drink sector is one of the key drivers of our economy particularly in my South Scotland region to have some of the most amazing and delicious products and pure natural resources found anywhere in the world and I know it's been said already but it is worth repeating with an annual turnover worth 15 billion and overseas export sales of more than £6 billion representing nearly a third of all UK food exports the food and drink industry is a major contributor to Scotland's economy there are over 17,000 food and drink businesses which employ about 129,000 people many in remote and economically fragile rural and island communities like in Dumfries and Galloway exports of Scottish food and drink were valued at a record £8.1 billion in 2022 up £1.9 billion so that's 30.6% compared to 2021 however despite the fantastic efforts of our food and drink producers it is clear that Brexit continues to pose huge challenges to Scotland's food and drink industry due to the loss of free trade and the imposition of new obstacles to the movement of goods indeed one producer in Galloway the ethical dairy stopped sending goods to Europe and Ireland all together because of Brexit bureaucracy it was just going to cost too much no matter how innovative the industry or how wonderful our produce if we cannot get it to market sector will face challenges and the majority of agricultural shows over the summer including Strunrar Wigtown, Dumfries and Kelso it's clear that there are numerous challenges impact in the sector removal from the EU single market plays a big part in that the food and drink sector has borne the brunt of this particularly through the loss of freedom of movement of people and free trade now with clear evidence of Brexit causing food bills to rocket we're all affected I'd like to point out that there are many factors influencing food inflation but other countries and citizens do not have to contend with Brexit it is really important that we speak about this the Scottish Government are doing all it can within its resources and powers to help the sector supporting our local food businesses provides important markets for local producers the Scottish Government has provided £17.5 million to businesses and groups in the food and drink sector and that includes the oyster festival in Strunrar and I'm glad Colin Smyth mentioned it because I will be going there myself this Saturday the oyster festival in Strunrar has received £15,000 of combined funding from the Scottish Government and the DNG council and again I will be looking forward to oysters this weekend in Strunrar it is worth pointing out that Loch Rai is home to Scotland's only native oyster beds and I thank Strunrar Development Trust for all their efforts in organising oyster festival which is helping shine a light on the tune that I was born in and where I grew up Scotland's ambitious 10-year collaborative food and drink recovery plan targets strong growth against Brexit impacts sustaining Scotland supplying the world Scotland's food and drink strategy aims to mitigate the damage inflicted by the Covid pandemic and Brexit the strategy aims to support the sector to grow faster than similarly size competitors such as in Ireland and Norway the Scotland food and drink partnership projects it could support a 25% increase in turnover for the sector by 2028 from a projected £16 billion to £20 billion actions include restoring promotional activity to pre-pandemic levels to reach new markets and recruiting and retaining a highly skilled workforce to adapt and tackle skill shortages in the sector that will support rural small businesses like across D&G and the Borders Scotland's food and drink sector lost many of the benefits it once had when trading with the EU and that makes me crabbit while the full economic consequences of Brexit are yet to be realised businesses now face additional expense when trading and some food producers have found that their goods can no longer be exported to the EU. Brexit also hampers domestic production with labour shortages caused by the loss of freedom of movement. Pre-Brexit, Scottish producers sold 28,000 tonnes of seed potatoes to EU customers each year but the Windsor framework allows the seed potatoes to go to Northern Ireland but the EU market is still closed to Scottish seed potatoes that's 20,000 tonnes of seed potatoes so many of Scotland's food industries are still suffering from lower imports and exports to the EU including a 38% fall in fruit and vegetable exports between 2019 and 2022 so the Opposition might go on about how Brexit-Disney matter it absolutely does matter and we have to keep reiterating it because the sooner we're back in the EU as an independent country the better presiding officer Scottish firms are trying to export to Europe they face significant additional costs and bureaucracy at a time when their margins are already being squeezed I'm about 30 seconds before I close I think, Presiding Officer and I hear what Karen Adam is saying about our prized seafood industry which has been hit with 50% increase in the cost of packaging items sent to the EU which I know from a recent visit to Seafood Company in Galloway the new export health certificates are costing the salmon sector alone approximately £1.3 million per year so in conclusion I welcome the support that the Scottish Government is providing to our food and drink sector and I thank the south of Scotland producers for all their hard work and I hope that Scotland takes its rightful place in the European Union to protect and enhance our food and drink sector thank you I now call Finlay Carson to be followed by Pauline McNeill thank you, Presiding Officer I'd like to recognise the world-renowned food and drink producers across Scotland and I've already heard my constituency can boast of amazing artisan cheese nice cream makers and famous butchers in Castle Douglas and of course not to forget the Oyster Festival in Sronar taking place this weekend and I'm looking forward to attend as well but I've listened intently to the debate so far and the one thing we've yet to hear from the Scottish Government is that we need to know what level of food production we need to know what level of food production we want to see in Scotland for the next few decades and beyond how many litres of milk how many kilos of beef, lamb and pork how many tonnes of fruit and veg and so on and so on and so on and so on how many tonnes of fruit and veg escorula and we knew that we would have a better understanding of the level of imports at the Scottish Government de-acceptable bearing in mind the potential additional carbon footprint Vielleicht impact them by diversity relation to imported food and of course given the current global situation food security is of utmost importance but there's been a vacuum of information from the Cabinet Secretary where we should've been hearing about policy outlining how she hoped to achieve her desired outcomes. Our food producers have been seeking answers for years now and have naturally grown frustrated at the lack of direction. Our Scottish food and drink producers are among the very best in the world but are still kept in the dark about how much food they need to produce and even basics like the Government's definition of regenerative farming but to help inform us we need to know all this information to decide how much land is going to be needed in order that we can plan for the future with a degree of confidence. The food and drink industry in Scotland needs clear direction on future farming policies, including the use of gene editing to create, produce and create it, certainly. I'm very grateful to the member for giving me a light on a very important point about decisions around land use because we have a finite amount of land and there is options. So for example the decision between agriculture and forestry is a critical one. Is that the sort of issue that he thinks that we need to be much more focused on as we think about agriculture and land use? Absolutely, thank you for that intervention, that's really helpful. It is absolutely critical to know how much food we need to produce and then look at how much land we need to produce that food on and you know as you say it's not an infinite amount of land we have and we've got to make some really important decisions on that and that's still unclear. But we also need to look at a clear direction on farm policies including use of gene editing to create, produce, better suited to a climate change in Scotland and to help to reduce any negative impacts on biodiversity. But this SNP-led, green-led Scottish Government has chosen to take a narrow-minded approach in opposing the Gene Technology Precision Breeding Act, almost certainly influenced by its coalition partners in the Green Party. Sadly, and not for the good of our agriculture sector, but for constitutional reasons, this Government will blindly attempt to keep pace with our European neighbours. The bill legislation would simply diverge from outdated rules inherited from the European Union by removing more precise breeding techniques such as gene editing from the scope of restrictive GMO rules and adopting a similar regulatory stance to other countries around the world including USA, Canada, Japan, Australia as well as Brazil and Argentina. Despite widespread appeals from scientists, farmers and breeders, who have all highlighted Scotland's remarkable world-leading research strengths such as the James Hutton Institute and the Roslyn Institute here in Edinburgh, the Scottish Government has remained tone deaf, steadfastly refusing to accept new technology that offers faster, more precise delivery of desired traits. As a consequence, there are many opportunities to develop more sustainable, productive and climate-resistant farming systems, which will in turn only add to Scotland's vibrant food and drink sector. I do not want to see producers going into battle with one hand tied behind their backs and their ambition to protect, and that is to protect the clean green brand of Scotland's 15 billion food and drink industry. The Scottish Government needs to come clean over its misguided hostility towards gene editing technologies with proper justification and justifying its position other than just a desire to remain aligned with the EU. However, the EU is now changing its stance. Rightly recognising that the world is changing dramatically, with food security increasingly more important. Covid, the war in Ukraine, the cost of living crisis and a more aggressive climate change shift, and a growing population and demographics across the world have all sharpened the minds of the EU towards gene-edited crops. So where will that leave the Scottish Government? Will we see a massive, late but very welcome U-turn on precision breeding issues? Will the Minister now listen to science rather than the anti-science, anti-growth and anti-everything green party? The European Commission appears now to be moving away from its farm to fork policy as it realise that it would be a prescription for disaster, not only increasing hunger but undermining climate and environmental goals. Gene-editing research has moved on with amazing policies that can reduce the input of artificial fertiliser, chemicals and water. With the bulk of greenhouse gas emissions often incorrectly lying at the doorstep of livestock production, GE is opening up major opportunities to improve sustainability, productivity, health and welfare of farmed animals. Should we be digessous about carefully going forward? Absolutely yes, but let's listen to the science, not to ill-informed scaremongering when it comes to setting food production policy. We need a food system that is efficient, productive and environmentally sustainable to provide nutritious food with an increasingly small environmental input. That can only happen if it is based in reality, not on wishful thinking. Thank you, Mr Carson. I now call Pauline McNeill, who is joining us remotely to be followed by Gordon MacDonald. Ms McNeill. Scotland's food and drink industry is absolutely vital to our economic growth. Food and drink is now Scotland's biggest employer and the industry is worth a mighty £50 billion. The food and drink that we produce from our abundant natural resources is shared around the world for its quality and its history. The production of scots, which other spirit drinks, is of particular importance to Scotland. I have enjoyed listening to the contributions and members promoting the local produce, but times have been tough for the sector. Many members have mentioned the impact of Brexit, which clearly did have an impact on the sector. Crucially, Covid-19 pandemic and many consequences are flowing from that and, of course, the war in Ukraine, which fueled an unprecedented cost of production crisis that shrewd people foresaw. However, it shows the global nature of how quickly food insecurity can rise and how important it is to keep an eye on the geopolitics. Relentless market pressures have changed to the regulatory environment just to add to the many stresses within the sector. Scottish businesses are still navigating a difficult climate, and over the next few years it is likely to remain turbulent. For many, the focus will still be on stability and remaining valuable. Why we talk a bit about my constituency of the Glasgow region, Scotland's largest city, the hospitality industry is so critical to the supply chain of the food and drink sector, and it has been hugely exposed to rising costs, utility costs and many others, but also a lack of confidence in public transport and the huge impact that the taxi trade and the failure to properly support the taxi trade has had on cities like Glasgow, so vital to keep the beating heart of our city centres absolutely thriving. So, Gawthon resilience is really important, and Colin Smyth mentioned this in his contribution talking about the bus industry. I mean, young people rely on the night bus services in Glasgow to get home from work in the hospitality sector. Many parents driving their sons and daughters from a late shift meant that the introduction of the early dead zone in Glasgow and the way that it was done was a disaster. I fear the proposal of congestion chargers, and it is simply because of that. Hospitality is so vital to a city like Glasgow. If the public lack confidence to be able to come into Glasgow or the perception that they can't, and we don't have the standard of public transport to meet the city's needs, then it will impact on recruitment and it will impact on jobs. In August, the owner of some of Scotland's most popular hospitality venues shared their concerns over the future of the industry in light of recent closures. Michael Berguson of Buck's Bar and Thundercat pointed to the lack of rates relief still a big issue compared to England, and it is creating the impression that Scotland is not doing enough for the sector. It is an issue of great concern to me. I met with leading members of the food and rent sector in Glasgow on how to navigate the current inflationary pressures and the impact on customer spending powers making trading difficult. I also host the cross-party hospitality group, which is diverse, including the wedding sector, the music sector and pub and clubs, and it meets the Parliament on a regular basis. A city region like Glasgow, which is geographically important to the sector, is really important to make that connection. Some of the connections that Emma Harper and others talk about, the oyster industry, the salmon industry and, by my mention, as Christine Grahame has done, cafe Cendolfey has been there for decades in Glasgow and is a great example of an iconic restaurant serving fresh food, accessing food from all over Scotland. I want to make sure that cafes and restaurants such as cafe Cendolfey can continue to take advantage of Scotland's strong sector. I think that we can take this turn now by addressing that the sector is experiencing many issues that do need government support. Aside from economic growth, as others have also said, we must ensure that our food system in Scotland is contributing to the health and wellbeing of everyone. No matter where you live or what you earn or what your personal circumstances is, it is important that you get access to fresh food and affordable food. Food is a basic human right. Members such as Rhoda Grant and Colin Smith and many others from other parties have championed this cause, and I think that it is to their credit that they have changed the attitude to the availability of food and the concept of the right of food security. Many Scots are going to bed hungry and lying in food banks and the kindness of strangers in their country, which is so rich in national resources. I also want to mention the Glasgow homeless project, a wonderful organisation that is saving lives by feeding people on the streets of Glasgow. As we have heard from other members, one in three children in Glasgow are living in poverty and many of those children go to bed hungry. Food insecurity in Scotland is called by too much poverty, not too little food. For better access to food, particularly for those who live in multiple areas of deprivation, there must be facilities to offer a healthy choice of nutritious and fresh food. I know that I plan to increase Glasgow's food-growing capacity by scaling up allotments and community-growing, as well as the development of urban farming in the city. The data shows that 20 per cent of people referred to food banks by the Trust of Trust in mid-2022 were working, but in working households showing a rise in food poverty. In conclusion, the Scottish Government probably has a national plan for ending the need for food banks. We need to make sure that we focus on that. We need to focus on giving people the right to food and to focus on the viability and sustainability of the food and drink sector. Thank you, Mr McNeill. I now call Gordon MacDonald, who will be the last speaker before we move to closing speeches. Thank you, Presiding Officer. In Scotland, our trade surplus in goods is driven by the fantastic world-class quality of food and drink, whether that is the abundance of seafood in Scottish water, including top-quality salmon or scotch beef and lamb reared on our farms. We also export soft fruits such as strawberries, raspberries and blueberries, barley, wheat, oats and, of course, whisky. The sector delivers £8 billion of export sales, which adds to that trade surplus that is generated here in Scotland. Our food and drink products are in high demand from markets across the world because we offer a diverse range of products with broad international appeal that have a reputation for quality, provenance and luxury. Scotland and, to a lesser extent, Wales are the only countries of the UK that have a trade surplus in all goods and in services, with the latest ONS figures for 2021 highlighting that we had an overall surplus of £21 billion. We sell more to the world than we import, generating a surplus that benefits the UK economy. Unlike the North West of England, Yorkshire and the Humber, East Midlands, West Midlands, the East and South East of England, all consume more than they produce and all have an overall goods and services trade deficit. Before I focus on the whisky industry, I should remind members that I am the co-convener of the cross-party group on Scotch whisky. In 2022, the value of Scottish whisky exports was £6.2 billion, which equates to 1.67 billion bottles of whisky, or 53 bottles of whisky exported every second to markets all over the world. Scotland's whisky accounted for 77 per cent of Scottish food and drink exports and 25 per cent of all UK food and drink exports. The Scotch whisky industry exports to 174 countries around the world, with the largest market being in India, which alone purchase the equivalent of 219 million bottles of whisky, followed by France and then the United States. Those exports sales help support employment in Scotland, where 11,000 people are directly employed in the whisky industry and support 42,000 jobs across the UK. The number of Scottish direct employment in the whisky industry is up from the 9,300 jobs estimated in 2008, as the number of distilleries has increased from 109 in 2009 to 146 today. The result is that we have over 22 million casks lying, maturing and warehouses in Scotland, the equivalent of 12 billion bottles of whisky. However, the UK Government must be careful that its actions do not undermine investment in the industry. In the 2023 spring budget, the UK Chancellor increased duty on whisky by 10 per cent, resulting in the duty and VAT amounting to 75 per cent of the average price bottle and widening the difference between the taxation of spirits compared to other categories of alcohol. In 2009, spirit duty per unit of alcohol was £23. It is now 31.6 up 43 per cent over the last 14 years. We have a UK Government that takes 75 per cent at the cost of a bottle of whisky and tax, yet provides no support for energy costs despite distillation being energy intensive, and the industry was excluded from the energy bill relief offered by the UK Government. That increase comes at a time when year-on-year growth and profitability has been undermined by the UK decision to leave the EU, despite the people of Scotland voting to remain. Analysis highlights that 44 per cent of businesses indicate Brexit as the main cause of difficulties in trading overseas and attracting agricultural workers, particularly at harvest time, with high inflation and energy costs impacting on profitability and creating on-going difficult trading conditions for our food and drink industry. Brexit has also resulted in Scottish products losing their protected geographical indicator status, similar to what products such as Parmaham and Champagne have. There is a new reciprocal agreement with the EU to give some protection to our products, but that will not necessarily carry the same cachet as before with consumers. Presiding Officer, I may not have any distilleries yet in my constituency of Edinburgh Pentlands. However, I am fortunate to have the Scotch whisky research institute. The institute, based at Heriotwater research park, conducts research covering the entire whisky making process. The aim is to examine all aspects of the process from barley to bottle to improve sustainability, efficiency and introduce new technology where appropriate. On my visits to the institute, I have seen how they take product safety and quality very seriously. Another aspect of their work revolves around stopping counterfeiting and protecting the authenticity of Scotch whisky. Our whisky is a premium global product, and the work of the product protection group ensures that only spirit matured in oak cast in Scotland for at least three years can be called Scotch whisky. Presiding Officer, given the importance of Scotland's food and drink industry to the Scottish and UK economy, I welcome the £5 million that the Scottish Government is investing in the new strategy and its ambition to support the industry's aim to grow turnover by 25 per cent by 2028. Thank you, Mr McDonald. We will now move to closing speeches, and I call on Daniel Johnson to close on behalf of Scottish Labour. The debate might have been about the resilience of the food and drink sector, but if there is one theme that genuinely united the chamber, it is that we might be talking about resilience, but food and drink represents a real strength in Scotland and a huge opportunity for the future. Of that, there is no doubt. It gave me great pleasure to attend the Food and Drinks Awards last Thursday at the conference centre, and that was very much the theme of one of innovation, real dynamism and, I think, real entrepreneurialism right the way across the sector, although I have to say that even though it was at a dinner, that many categories did make you feel very, very hungry no matter how much you ate. What is clear to me is that this is a sector that is a part of Scotland's future. A number of members have rightly mentioned the whisky industry, but it is worth putting some of those facts into some context. Yes, whisky is one of our top exports, but it represents 25 per cent of all UK food and drink exports, and one and a half per cent of all UK exports full stop. Whisky is a real global success story. What is more, we have the real benefit of having a category of drink that is synonymous with this country. That is something that countries around the world would have their arms off in order to achieve, but there is still more we can do. That is a success story if you look at other countries such as France. The food and drink is worth some 5 per cent by employment in this country, and France is worth 15 per cent. It is a good example because France is a country that has deliver both quality in its food produce but also scale. Our question, our challenge, is how do we do that? How do we achieve that sort of scale of food and drink in terms of its economic contribution? How do we get other categories, such as whisky, to that level where it is synonymous with this country and seen as a real strength? That is what I would like to focus on as we look at this industry going forward. It is also important to reflect on some of the other points. My colleagues, Rhoda Grant and Colin Smyth, were absolutely right to concentrate on security and the links between food and poverty. While we are in and midst a cost of living crisis, we have to focus on the fact that there are many in this country who cannot afford to eat. It is something that we should consider where 40 per cent of our food is imported, as Rhoda Grant pointed out. Setting targets for local authorities in terms of their food procurement would do a great deal, because we cannot ignore the links between food, poverty and health. At a time when we see rising obesity, where we see lowering life expectancy, thinking about the quality of the food and making sure that it is affordable is absolutely key, as Colin Smyth pointed out. I would also like to highlight the contribution of Edward Mantam, because he said something really quite important. While we may be focused on our success, we also need to be realistic about the context and the challenges. Salmon is a major export, right up there with whisky, but we cannot ignore some of the real issues that the industry throws up—the wastage—and he was right to highlight the recommendations of the REC committee. I encourage people in that industry to look at it, but it is a strength. What we need to do is find a way of making our agriculture sustainable so that we can be truly proud of it and ensure that it continues to make a contribution. In terms of that realism, unfortunately, there was much of this debate, which seemed to lapse into some of the usual confusion around borders that we see from both the Conservative front bench and the SNP front bench. We had the slightly absurd assertion from Rachel Hamilton that, somehow, gene editing was the cure to all the border issues and the delays that exporters are facing here. Frankly, I think that that is absurd, but, likewise, from the SNP, the assertion that, somehow, all those problems—of the delays, the bureaucracy that we experience at the south coast—are somehow disappear if we take those problems and place them in Gretna. That equally is nonsense. Just in a moment, in order to be credible in this, you have to face the fact that exporting has become a hugely more difficult chance, a proposition for especially small and medium exporters. A recent Financial Times reportage on that, I listened to one tea producer stating that the length of time it takes to get goods to Europe has gone from two days to 21. If Rachel Hamilton can explain how gene editing solves that, I will give way to her now. Rachel Hamilton? There are many benefits of gene editing and you clearly weren't listening to the message within the speech about gene editing. What I would like to know is, does Scottish Labour agree with Scottish Conservatives and would they like to bring forward a gene editing bill, or would they like to align with Europe? Daniel Johnson? On that, I think that we have to be absolutely led by the science. I think that gene editing does have a great number of things to look at, particularly around sustainability, ensuring that we have crop yields, but to say that it is an answer to border problems is frankly absurd. What's more, I'm deeply concerned by any proposition that we deviate from keeping pace. Ultimately, food products need to be exported to countries that are close to you. If we increase the barriers to exporting to Europe, we are just going to make that task more difficult, but likewise we only have to look at DRS and the very real issues thrown up when those proposals to look at what problems borders cause. We were facing the very real proposition that Scottish brewers were not going to sell their products in Scotland because of having differential labelling between Scotland and the rest of the UK. Do not pretend for a second that the issues caused by borders are replaced or solved by creating additional borders. They do not. You compound those problems. We have, I think, nonsensical thinking from the front benches under the Conservatives and the SNP. Ultimately, I would just like to end on this. A food and drink is a huge strength for Scotland, genuinely part of brand Scotland as Michelle Thompson, but I think that we need a joined up plan that was integrated with the rest of economic policy and indeed a comprehensive industrial strategy if we were going to make good at it. Maybe next year the secretary for the economy will join his colleague on the front bench at this debate. I now call on Jamie Halcro Johnston, Mr Halcro Johnston. Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I start by drawing members' attention to my register of interests as a partner in the family business of J. Halcro Johnston and Sons and as a member of NFU Scotland and Scottish Land and Estates. I am pleased to be able to close this debate for the Scottish Conservatives, a debate on a subject that is obviously very close to my heart but also so vital to my Highlands and Islands region. As my colleague Rachel Hamilton rightly said in her opening remarks, while MSPs may disagree on today's motion and amendments, we all recognise that Scotland is blessed with a world-class food and drink sector with people and communities right across our country, from Selcote to Shetland to Stornoway, producing the highest quality food and drink that is enjoyed right across the world. In a previous role as an adviser to various MSPs, I was never prouder than when one of them would visit Orkney, my home, and enjoy first-hand the fantastic food and drink on offer, that Jamie McGrigor in particular would wax lyrical of the quality and the variety of produce available at the Orkney County show. Folk from communities right across the Highlands and Islands and across Scotland can boast the same of their own local area. We are right to celebrate Scotland's food and drink sector, as at least the first few lines of the Scottish Government's motion does, but then, of course, disappointingly, if not unexpectedly, we get into the politics of it. Politics, which means everything to Scottish Nationalist ministers and absolutely nothing to Scotland's farmers, fishermen and food and drink producers. And while it seems that the Scottish Government to take this line and factor such as leaving the European Union and the impact of Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine cannot and should not be ignored, SNP ministers also cannot ignore their own role in creating increased uncertainty for Scotland's farmers, fishermen and others from across the food and drink sector through their own policy platform. As Rachel Hamilton and others have rightly pointed out, we still don't know the details of the agriculture bill. With those of us who live and work Scotland's land, wondering how our sector will be supported going forward, farming in places like Orkney, as it is with many of the communities across my region, can be hard enough without a Government in Edinburgh, which still won't tell us what hoops they want us to jump through. So perhaps the Cabinet Secretary will tell us how we should invest in our farms when we still don't know how that will be funded. But as important as it is, it's not just about funding. Too often is, of course, this Scottish Government's own policy agenda that businesses are being forced to adapt. As I mentioned earlier, farming communities like mine in Orkney have been left without abattoir facilities in the islands. Many of those who farm on Scotland's islands are left relying on increasingly unreliable ferry links to get produced to markets. Some are limited in their ability to sell online because the SNP's R100 broadband project hasn't and probably never will reach them. Even farm diversification, particularly around agritorism, risk being hit by damaging plans to introduce short-term lets licensing, which designed to deal with a problem in Edinburgh, could impact most in rural Scotland. Agriculture is just not a priority for this Scottish Government. Let me give this one example, which helps to highlight it. Again, in Orkney, £6 million is being spent eradicating stoats. I support this initiative, and we agreed early on to allow traps to be sited on our farm. But does the Cabinet Secretary understand why many local farmers are so frustrated when millions are spent on the stote problem, while funding to control the numbers of grey-like geese, which are causing serious damage to agricultural land for many farmers on many of our islands, runs to only tens of thousands of pounds? Farmers, as we always have done, are facing these challenges head-on, but we're doing so with a Government that has, as a coalition partner, a party which sees agriculture as the enemy, which demonises our fantastic red meat sector, that, instead of promoting a brilliant, healthy homegrown produce, would torque it down, restrict its consumption or even see it banned. It's a little wonder that so many farmers have lost faith in this SNP green nationalist Government. But it's not just our farmers. Because the Scottish Government appears at almost every turn to be working against the interests of rural and coastal communities and the local businesses that support so many jobs and livelihoods. The plans for HPMAs were ill-considered and rejected by coastal communities who recognised the damage they would do. The plans have now been dropped for now, but given how readily the Greens accepted this U-turn, it's understandable that many feel this was simply beleaguered nationalist ministers kicking the can down the road for reintroduction at a later date. Talking of kicking cans down the road, how many millions of pounds and how many hundreds of thousands of hours of time have been wasted because of the Scottish Government's determination to push ahead with their ill-thought-out plans for a deposit return scheme. We know that it's left the taxpayer out of millions of pounds out of pocket, but how many small businesses were forced to prepare for a scheme that was then dropped, paying out thousands, sometimes hundreds of thousands of pounds to make changes to their businesses that they won't see any return on any time soon, if at all. That's millions of pounds across the sector that is now lost to future investment. Presiding Officer, having experienced the events that we have over the last few years, no one should need explaining to them the importance of securing and enhancing our food security. That is why our amendment highlights the benefits of gene editing. The UK Government has led on gene editing, recognising the opportunities that it brings, not only from a food health and security perspective, but also the economic opportunities, too. As colleagues have said, even the European Union appears now to be moving slowly towards that position. Scotland, with our fantastic research and innovation base, is well placed to take advantage of this new approach, but the Scottish Government must get behind it. What I appreciate the Scottish Greens will not support our position on gene editing, because it is an increasingly isolated position, and views on that are well known. Those in the SNP who are from an agricultural background, or who represent rural Scotland, our farmers and our crofters, should recognise that there is nothing in our amendment today that they should disagree with. I would hope that, at decision time, they could support our amendment, but, of course, they probably will not. While the Scottish Conservatives are putting Scotland's rural and coastal communities at the centre of our policy agenda, placing food production at the heart of the new agriculture bill, investing in producers to keep food prices affordable for consumers, boosting support for technology and innovation, SNP MSPs will follow their whip and vote with their Scottish Green colleagues, because they are now beholden to their anti-business, anti-rural nationalist bedfellows. Rural Scotland sees that. I now call on Cabinet Secretary Maire Gouchal to wind up the debate on behalf of the Scottish Government and take us to decision time. I want to offer my thanks to members right across the chamber this afternoon for their contributions to the debate. It is clear from the range of interventions that we have heard. We can see the level of challenge that the sector faces at the moment, but, of course, it continually rises to meet them with energy and ambition. One particular highlight, starting off with the positives of the debate as well, and any time that we have a debate in relation to food and drink, is one of the highlights of it. There are many examples that members showcase from their constituencies and hearing about the great work that is happening right across Scotland. I will pick up on Rachel Hamilton's examples that she mentioned in her opening contributions to two farms that I am very familiar with, both of which I have visited. I think that their fantastic examples are not just because of the amazing quality of the produce that they provide, but also because of the sustainable and regenerative farming practices that they showcase there. We had a nice little tour of Christine Grahame's constituency, too. It was fantastic to hear Karen Adam talk about the importance of the fishing industry and Peterhead seafest, which took place at the weekend. She is very right—it was the blue tune at the weekend. It was great to see such a fantastic turnout for that event and the real celebration of what Peterhead has to offer. It was also really good to hear from Colin Smyth, Emma Harper and Finlay Carson about the cross-party delegation that we are going to be sending to Stranraer at the weekend. I look forward to our impromptu cross-party group that will be taking place there. As ever, there were so many important points that were raised during the course of the debate today, so I want to make sure that I cover as many of those as possible. First, I would like to turn to the discussion on the Good Food Nation. The Good Food Nation act itself has been raised by a few members in their contributions today. I think that there are some key points from those that I want to cover. We have a vision of Scotland as a good food nation, and I am really looking forward to launching our consultation on the national good food nation plan. That plan is going to be wide-ranging, it is going to be cross-cutting and it is going to reflect the spectrum of food-related issues that contribute to our nation's social and economic wellbeing, the environment, people's health and physical and mental wellbeing, economic development, animal welfare, education and child poverty. I remain fully committed to Scotland as a place where everyone here takes an interest in their food, where the food sector workers are committed to serving and selling good food, where everyone in Scotland has ready access to healthy, nutritious food, where dietary-related diseases are in decline and where we produce our food in a way that is sustainable and works for both climate and nature. Can I ask the cabinet secretary when we will see that draft plan published, because it has been 15 months since the bill was passed? I would respond that we are still on time and on schedule, though, in terms of the timescales that we have set out for publishing that. I will be setting out the detail on that in due course and that will be coming forward shortly. Continuing on from the good food nation, that goes hand in hand with our commitment to local food for everyone, supporting that locally-based production in circular supply chains, cutting food miles and enabling more people to enjoy food grown locally, while also delivering on our trading nation export strategy, as well as the visions that we have published, our vision for agriculture and sustainable agriculture, too. I know that Rachael Hamilton and Rhoda Grant referred to what they saw as missed opportunities in the good food nation act. However, what the act did was create that overall framework, and I think that where we really will make that difference across many of the points that have been raised today and bring together the key areas of food policy is in the good food nation plan itself. That was always the intention. As I have outlined, I really look forward to launching the consultation on the draft plan and getting that feedback. Sorry, I do need to make some progress. I do want to come back to Rhoda Grant's contribution, though. I would say that, between Rhoda Grant, Colin Smyth and Daniel Johnson, I am very much in agreement with a lot of the points that they covered in the debate today, and mostly what they covered in their amendment. However, I want to touch on the right to food that Rhoda Grant mentioned in particular, because I know that, as the member will be aware, we had many discussions on this when it came to the passage of the good food nation bill. The right to food is a fundamental human right, and this Government has committed to incorporating that right into Scott's law. However, we are doing that through the forthcoming human rights bill. That bill is the appropriate place to do that because of the complex interrelationships between rights and obligations across the four treaties. That is why we want to bring that together in a single, coherent and integrated framework. I am happy to reaffirm that commitment today, because we want to strengthen domestic legal protections by making those rights enforceable in Scott's law. Rhoda Grant? Will the minister empower the Food Commission to bring into reality a right to food? We have a right to food now, and it is a human right. However, if we look around and see so many of her citizens not being able to access food, will she charge the Food Commission to make this a reality for people? That is where we also set out as part of the passage of the good food nation act to recognising the right to food and the fact that, through that plan, that is what we are ultimately giving effect to. However, I am more than happy to continue this conversation with Rhoda Grant given the member's bill that I know that she is proposing as well. I know that this is a vitally important topic, so again, I am more than happy to follow up with you in discussions in relation to that. I am still continuing to focus on Rhoda Grant's contribution to that, because she highlighted so many important points. I am in full agreement with much of what was said, particularly in relation to the points raised on poverty. The fact that we have so many people dependent on food banks in a nation that is rich in so many ways and not least in terms of the quality of the food that we produce. I think that when you also consider the figures that we have around food waste, they are truly shocking and problems that we really have to try and address. There is one point that I would like to clarify. I know that Rhoda Grant mentioned the plan to end the need for food banks and is requesting more detail on that. The first plan was published on 5 June this year, but I would be happy to follow up and provide more of the details there. Procurement is again a hugely important area, which has been raised by a few members today. Ultimately, I think that this is an area in which there is agreement between us all and where we do ultimately want the same thing. However, it is a very complex area at the same time. The legislation that governs procurement is complicated and prohibits any discrimination against imported produce, but that is why we have provided broad support measures to ensure that local producers can access public sector contracts, including the supplier development programme, with up to £150,000 over the course of this financial year and the food for life programme, which is now operating across 17 local authorities to support more locally sourced healthier food in schools. We also have a Glasgow-based pilot on expanding the food for life principles across the public sector, and we funded that with £490,000 of funding over the course of this year. We are further committed to updating catering for change, which will set out the principles in relation to sustainable procurement of food and catering services in the public sector to align procurement behind sustainable low-carbon farming and food. Rhoda Grant and Rachael Hamilton mentioned what they would propose in relation to targets, and we will investigate that. More detail will follow alongside other work on the Good Food Nation plan. Touching on another point that Colin Smyth raised in terms of some of the concerns that he picked up from his region, I wanted to touch on the food processing and marketing co-operation grant being one. I know how important that scheme is to businesses, and I have heard those concerns directly. Unfortunately, we did have to put a pause on that scheme due to pressures on the Scottish budget this year. However, we took the opportunity during this time to carry out an independent review of the scheme through Scotland Food and Drink to see how we can identify how it can best meet the needs of Scotland's food processing sector within the new reality of single-year funding. That review is now concluded, and we will be carefully considering the recommendations that have come about as a result of that. I want to touch on another really important point that I want to touch on today, and again raised by quite a few members across the chamber, is the focus on our primary producers, our farmers, crofters and fishers, without whom we would not be here having this debate today. In terms of the calls for clarity and detail in agriculture, I know that members will be well aware—we have discussed that at length in previous debates—that we are working closely with our farmers and with our crofters to co-develop our work in agriculture to make sure that we have policy that works, that is deliverable and that does what we need it to do for food production, for climate and for nature. Again, as I have already previously set out to, that co-development takes time. What we have done, though, is that we have set our direction and the future direction of travel that we published in our vision for agriculture and we published that last year. We have published our route map outlining when the key decision points are, when information will be available and what support is available now. With that, we also published a definition of regenerative farming that Finlay Carson asked for in his contribution. We have announced the conditions for support that will be implemented from 2025. Ariane Burgess also raised an important question in her contribution and raised important points in relation to how we support small producers going forward. That is something that we are committed to do. I really need to make progress and I am approaching my closing comments. It would also address some of the points in the previous interventions made by Jamie Halcro Johnston on the importance of abattoirs and the importance of those facilities across Scotland. We have been doing work on a small producer's pilot, which has included a survey on abattoirs to better tailor the support that we have going forward. That work is continuing, but I just wanted to highlight that those are very important points that we are considering going forward, because we know that supporting our small producers is hugely important. I want to touch on just one final point. Edward Mountain, who I would say normally when I have been in debates with him, has made quite considered contributions. Unfortunately, he did not feel so considered today with some utter nonsense. I would also say from Jamie Halcro Johnston in relation to the commitments around a future agriculture bill, which, in line with our published commitments, we will be introducing this year. However, we touched on aquaculture. Aquaculture, as has been identified, is a significant contributor to our rural economy, providing those well-paid jobs. We see a future for this sector in Scotland, and that is why we published our vision for sustainable aquaculture, which I think addresses some of the concerns that have been raised previously by the committee, but we do see a strong future for that industry going forward. Just to conclude, I would want to reiterate that our food and drink sector is a Scottish success story. We cannot stand still, yes, there are challenges, but the industry strategy rightly shows that resilience, sustainability and growth can go hand in hand. We have a fantastic larger in our doorstep and our waters on our land and the fantastic local producers to make the most of them, so I would call on each and every person in the chamber to join me in celebrating them as they so richly deserve. That concludes the debate on celebrating the resilience of Scotland's food and drink sector. It is now time to move on to the next item of business, which is consideration of business motion 10419, in the name of George Adam, on behalf of the parliamentary bureau, on a change to the business programme, and any member who wishes to speak against the motion should press their request to speak button now. I call on George Adam to move the motion. Thank you. No member has asked to speak against the motion, therefore the question is that motion 10419 be agreed. Are we all agreed? The motion is therefore agreed. There are three questions to be put as a result of today's business and the first is that amendment 10406.2, in the name of Rachel Hamilton, which seeks to amend motion 10406, in the name of Mary Gougeon, on celebrating the resilience of Scotland's food and drink sector, be agreed. Are we all agreed? The Parliament is not agreed, therefore we will move to vote and there will be a short suspension to allow members to access digital voting.