 The next item of business today is a member's business debate on motion number 12801 in the name of John McAlpine on DG food and drink. This debate will be concluded without any questions being put and I invite those members who wish to speak in this debate to please press the request to speak buttons now or as soon as possible. I would again invite members who are leaving the chamber and indeed members of the public who are leaving the chamber to please do so quickly and quietly. John McAlpine, seven minutes please. Thank you very much, Presiding Officer. I'm delighted today to speak in this debate which highlights the opportunities and achievements of the year of food and drink 2015. Scotland's ladder is a vital part of our economy and central to our heritage and cultural identity and food tourism, which I'll talk about today, brings together these different strands, promoting food as a visitor experience and enriching Scotland in a whole variety of ways. I want to talk about some examples of how the sector in Dumfries and Galloway has been making the most of this themed year. Food and Drink January 4, 43.52 million locally and, in 2012, employed 964 people in full or part-time jobs. The region is, of course, a major beef producer and constitutes a large volume of the dairy output in Scotland. MSPs had the chance this week to enjoy the superb produce from the south-west when catering students from Dumfries and Galloway College took over the member's restaurant. The college is expanding its catering division, which again reflects the potential of the industry, not least in creating jobs and offering apprenticeships. Recognition of the sector's importance has resulted in the creation of DGE Food and Drink led by marketing expert Lorna Young. It's a business information and support service provided on behalf of Dumfries and Galloway Council, and it caters for all aspects of the industry from production to retail and hospitality. One aspect of the support is Scotland's artisan food trail, which is financed with £15,000 from the council and £15,000 from the Scottish Government's Community Food Fund, which is designed to support local initiatives. The Dumfries and Galloway food trail will launch next month, and it includes a website and database for food-related businesses, events and experiences. Other DGE food initiatives for the industry include a website to promote farmers markets, which, to use a food metaphor, have mushroomed in recent years. Next week, the regional tourism conference in Dumfries and Galloway will highlight the potential of the sector as a visitor attraction and encourage local tourism businesses to use local produce. DGE Food and Drink is also building up the sector's own ability to market itself and, last week, funded in event teaching skills in the highly specialised area of food photography. The challenge for anyone embarking on a food and drink-inspired holiday in Dumfries and Galloway, of course, is what to miss out, as there are just too many businesses on the list to name them all. I am just going to give you a test of what is on offer. Kilnford, for example, is a large mixed farm at Engleston, famed for its grass-reared, belted Galloways, blackface sheep and free-range pigs. It has a farm shop with a famed delicatessenth, as well as a restaurant and nature trail that attracts visitors from miles around. Barony country foods was established in response to growing customer demand for high-quality rainbow trout and venison from Barony colleges, deer and trout farms. The business now offers a wide variety of fish poultry and game and operates a traditional Scottish smoke house, and all the produce can be bought online. Similar added value businesses can be seen in dairy. Cream of Galloway ice cream offers a very attractive visitor experience alongside its delicious product. Indeed, Dramieu Farm ice cream in the village of Cullin is just outside Dumfries does the same. There is also the award-winning Criffle cheese from Locathar, made by residents of the Camp Hill community, which has its own dairy, bakery and brand new farm shop. We could add to that several chocolatiers, including the extremely creative Abbotts in Langham and Liz Cole in Money Ive, who makes the world's first tartan chocolate, which can be purchased in our own Scottish Parliament gift shop. We have Scotland's newest whisky producer, Anandale Distillery, just outside the town of Anand. It laid derelict after closing like many distilleries in 1918 until it was lovingly restored by international marketing entrepreneur Professor David Thompson and his wife, Treza. The building itself is of considerable architectural significance and the Thompson's have spent £10.5 million turning it into a quality visitor attraction. It is single malt on our two local sons, Robert Burns, who was an excisement in these parts. He inspired the single malt man of words, and Robert the Bruce, who was Lord of Anandale before he was King of Scotland, inspires the more peaty man of sword. The distilleries location make it first in Scotland, and it will act as a gateway to Dumfries and Galloway itself. Can I respectfully suggest that the Cabinet Secretary visit Anandale distillery? He would find it a very satisfying experience and a great way to perhaps start off the food trail himself. While whisky is our best known spirit, the artisan food trail will also feature beverages that are less commonly associated with Scotland. In Langham, for example, Walkmill produces 100 per cent Scottish craft cider from traditionally grown apples and pears. That business, like other small cider producers, plays a vital role in preserving ancient orchard and apple varieties. It offers delicious day courses in cider making via the Do Something Delicious website that highlights food experiences and gives the opportunity to purchase them to consumers across the UK. However, Walkmill, like other craft cider producers, is under threat, despite the best efforts of local and national government here in Scotland. The UK currently has a duty exemption for small-scale cider producers, which dates back to the time of Chancellor Dennis Healy. Now, the EU wants the UK to drop that exemption, which could put many of those cider producers out of business. There has been considerable concern about that among the craft cider producers, which, as you might imagine, are concentrated in the west country of England, but it clearly affects Scotland as well. Digi, food and drink believe that the UK Government could fight the EU proposition by highlighting the fragile, traditional and localised nature of craft cider production in the response to the EU, which I understand is to be submitted quite soon. Anything that the minister could do to help by pointing out to the Treasury that Scotland is also affected by the EU ruling would certainly be most welcome in Dumfriesshire, although I understand that it is not something that the Scottish Government can influence because we are not a member state of the EU. In the meantime, Walkmill is still open for business in Langham, producing cider vinegar and apple juice, as well as the stronger stuff. It is certainly well worth a visit as you make your way along the artisan food trail. In conclusion, I again congratulate Digi, food and drink in Dumfries and Galloway Council and wish them well in their work with food producers in the region. As we plan summer holidays or short breaks, I urge everyone to consider heading south in this special year to enjoy a taste of Dumfries and Galloway. Many thanks. I now call constituency members Dr Elaine Murray to be followed by Alex Ferguson. Thank you, Presiding Officer. I start by congratulating Joan McAlpine on securing the debate today and giving us the opportunity to celebrate and promote some of Dumfries and Galloway's greatest assets. Stave of the Flavours was very successful in promoting local food and drink in Dumfries and Galloway during the period of its operation from 2009 to 2013. I and others were very concerned when the organisation did not feel able to apply for continuation of its contract with Dumfries and Galloway. I met the council along with representatives and indeed a number of members met the cabinet secretary himself to try to seek a resolution that would enable the organisation to continue to operate. I was sorry when the problems were not resolved. However, the drive to capitalise on Dumfries and Galloway's wealth of fine food and drink has continued under the successful organisation DG Food and Drink. Together with Dumfries and Galloway Council, it has developed a £30,000 project encouraging food tourism during the year of Food and Drink 2015, provided by the council on £15,000 through the community food fund. Dumfries and Galloway, of course, is already famous for its food and drink. We have some major players. Pities of Scotland and Ananas subsidiary of the Seafood Company has an exclusive contract producing all the seafood products sold by Marks and Spencer's. Arlaw Foods UK, a farmer-owned European dairy co-operative involving 3,000 British farmers, has based its Scottish factory outside Lockerbie, where it processes 180 million litres of fresh milk, 30 kilotons of cheese and 10 kilotons of butter every year, the cheese and butter being marketed under the Lockerbie Creamery brand. Joan McAlpine mentioned cream of gallery ice cream. It is well known both within and out with Dumfries and Galloway, and Mr and Mrs Finlay have for several years developed a visitor attraction linked to their ice cream and cheese production. Uncle Roy's Commissical concoctions, produced in Moffat and established as a company in 2004, are now sold across the world. There are many other producers who may be less well known but are equally excellent. Joan McAlpine mentioned Abbott's chocolates handmade in Langham and the tartan chocolates that are sold in the shop here made in Moneyeive. We have bespoke cakes produced in Dumfries, but I buy heck preserves produced just outside of Lockerbie. The Dumfine Cheese Company is their title, not me getting excited about it. In Thornhill, Walkwell Sider, as Joan McAlpine said, from Langham, The Little Bakery in Heath Hall and the Wee Sweety Company, which I believe is home-based in Dumfries. That is just a few of the organisation of the traders who are involved now with DG Food and Drink. What could be better than enjoying these products in their region of origin whilst appreciating the countryside and the mild climate, which contributes to the quality of minimum because it contributes to the raw materials that go into them? Many products are now available through the network of farmers markets across the region. Those are regular accounts and the dates of those can be found on the D&G markets website. Many others are available in the shops, restaurants and cafes in our towns and villages. Joan McAlpine described one that is probably only about a mile from my house and is one of my favourite places to buy food. The food trail project, which is to be launched in the near future, builds on the existing strengths. The most popular visitor attractions in the region are all food and drink producers and will feature in the main food trail, along with the artisan and micro businesses, which are less well known at a national level, but provide opportunities for new start businesses. Local food festivals and events are being promoted and a series of photography workshops are taking place this very week to ensure that food and drink tourism businesses can advertise their wares as effectively. All that requires collaborative working between the private sector, public sector, community groups and industry groups and events organisers. I think that the ability for collaborative working is also another strength of Dumfries and Galloway's food and drink sector. Can I conclude by congratulating Lorna Young of DG Food and Drink for her work in organising the project and also in wishing the food trail every success during this year of food and drink? I am delighted that Joan McAlpine has brought the subject to the chamber and I congratulate her for doing so, especially as the impetus that I understand led to this debate sprang from a Scottish Government press release last year about the upcoming year of food and drink, which failed to mention Dumfries and Galloway at all, so I am absolutely delighted to have this opportunity to correct that record. I have represented part of Dumfries and Galloway as either a regional or a constituency MSP since 1999 and over that time the one really significant expansion of any sector has been in the food and drink sector. The danger that I find of mentioning specific businesses, as I am tempted to do, is that you then fail to mention all the other wonderful businesses that exist, so I am going to resist that temptation. It has been truly wonderful to witness the expansion in that sector and to have seen it arrive at its current position, where the region can now genuinely boast a range of food and drink products that can and perhaps should be the envy of many other regions. According to the Scottish Government's own figures on growth sector statistics, for Dumfries and Galloway, the total number of registered businesses under the six recognised headings amount to a total of 3,260 individual businesses, but of that total, 2,045, almost two thirds are food and drink related. Employing, as Joan McAlpine pointed out, some 9,600 people with a turnover of 560 million a year. That would be a pretty important economic statistic in any region, but in Dumfries and Galloway it is absolutely essential. The year of food and drink is very well timed from our region's point of view, as indeed is the creation of DG food and drink. When I first heard of the initiative, I will confess that I had some doubts because I was a huge fan and supporter, as I know other members were, of that first class initiative that also came out of Dumfries and Galloway to savor the flavours, as mentioned by Elaine Murray. That initiative was an organisation at arm's length from the council, which was held up as a benchmark for regional food promotion by everyone involved in the food sector from the Cabinet Secretary downwards. I actually believe that its success was largely because it was an arm's length organisation. I was very disappointed when the plug was effectively pulled on it due to some accounting technicalities and I do not mean to infer in any way that anything untoward was happening, it wasn't, but I still think that could have been satisfactorily dealt with if a little more time had been devoted to the problem. Having said that, I do think that we seem to have moved on from promotions of regional food products to a certain extent to the promotion of national food and drink products, although I do still believe that regional branding still has a great deal to commend it. If I have a concern about the year of food and drink, it seems to me that there is a great deal of focus on export and overseas markets when there is, I believe, an awful lot more that we can still do locally, such indeed as the promotion of food tourism, and that is where I have great hopes for this initiative, DG Food and Drink. It's development of a food trail focusing on artisan food production is tailor made for the region and it will be launched in May. It's centered on existing food based visitor attractions, some of which have been mentioned, and it will also develop a range of activities such as foraging excursions and community food events. The potential is absolutely immense and I wish it every success. DG Food and Drink has also effectively taken over next week's regional tourism conference and I just learnt this morning and I'm delighted to be able to say that for the first time ever that conference is a complete sell-out. But DG Food and Drink is essentially a support base. Artisan food and drink producers are by their very nature small and focused and they usually don't have the time or possibly the expertise to see beyond the varying demands of their business. The initiative aims to provide that support, expertise and importantly training and education in a whole host of ways. If it gets it right, the food and drink sector in the region can indeed become the envy of other regions and I suspect other countries. That's quite a claim but it's also quite an aim and one that is surely worth trying to achieve. Thank you, Presiding Officer. I now call on Graham Day to be followed by Stuart Stevenson. First I can congratulate John McAlpine on securing this opportunity to place Scotland's wonderful lardar in the spotlight, especially in this Scotland's year of food and drink. She's quite right to highlight the contribution made in this regard by the Dumfries and Galloway area for in terms of truly effective showcasing of local produce, Dumfries and Galloway has very much been an exemplar for the rest of Scotland. The Save of the Flavours initiative, which was mentioned already by Elaine Murray and Alex Ferguson, was a fantastic example of what could be achieved through effective working with producers, chefs, retailers, farmers markets, manufacturers, event organisers, schools and consumers to raise awareness of an area's exceptional local produce. In evaluation of the programme's work, it was found that events led by Save of the Flavours not only helped to grow awareness of local food as a sector, it encouraged new visitors to the area. Another key issue that the initiative addressed was the perception amongst businesses that local food is expensive and difficult to source. I first encountered the initiative at the 2011 Royal Highlands show where Save of the Flavours was competing with other regions in a food wars type event. I was hugely impressed and no-one should underestimate the impact that the initiative had in promoting local businesses to a wider market. An example of that was Walknall Siders, which was mentioned by Joan McAlpine, a firm that joined Save of the Flavours when it was representing Scotland on the EU stand international green week in 2013. To demonstrate an exemplar model of rural development, Walknall secured its first export order on the back of that event. The artisan food trail seems an appropriate successor to Save of the Flavours. My area of Angus has itself been making considerable inroads into the food and drink export market, not least of all in the shape of our broad-based preserved manufacturers. McAlpine was first bought in 1995 by Paul Grant. It served only the domestic market and then only to a very limited degree. Now, as well as featuring in the sales of six UK supermarkets, its jams, curbs and marmwades are sold in more than 50 countries. McAlpine has recently been shortlisted in the export business category at the Scotland Food and Drinks Excellence Awards. I wish McAlpine all the best for the event at the end of May, along with Ogilvy spirits who have been shortlisted in the alcoholic drinks category, to whom I will return later. There is some good work being done by Angus Council to support what is a high quality and varied local food and drink sector. Angus is the only UK member of the European Network of Regional Culinary Heritage. Started in 1995, Angus body aims to promote regional food, artisanal product, production and distinct culinary tradition to tourists, consumers and retailers. In addition, Angus' promotional campaign has been running successfully for a number of years. Last year, Angus decided to expand into including more business support as well as promotion. Angus Council is also working with Dundee and Angus Convention Bureau to ensure that local food is showcased. Angus was slow at getting its act together compared to Dumfries and Galloway, but we are now much more effectively profiling the areas that rich food heritage both within and out with Angus. Of course, no mention of Angus on food would be complete without referencing the Arboroth smokey. It has been great to see the renowned smokey producer Ian R. Spring welcoming travellers to Scotland with his picture adorning the arrival halls in our airports. It is also pleasing that smokies are featuring heavily in the promotional work that has been undertaken as part of the year of food and drink. The smokey is listed as one of Scotland's food and drinks must taste for the year on its blog. There is a special smokey trail in Visit Scotland, a taste of Scotland foodie trails brochure. I also want to highlight a relatively new arrival in the food and drink scene. That is innovative potato vodka. The smokey spirit, which I mentioned earlier, has its product on the market for three months, but it recently received a double gold medal for packaging and a silver for its spirit at the 2015 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. The business was only launched as a diversification project by tenant farmer Graham Jarron, but what a success story it has become. In Angus and elsewhere in Scotland, we are mixing the innovative with the traditional as in this year of food and drink we showcase all our country has to offer. It has done freezing galloway lead with savour the flavours so other parts of Scotland have followed. To conclude, it would be remiss of us in the debate on Scotland's food and drink, not to acknowledge the role of this cabinet secretary in the success story that it has become. Ministers in this Parliament are rightly held to account if areas of the portfolio do not perform as well as they might wish. Let's give credit where it is due and recognise that the leadership of Richard Lochhead in this area has been first class as evidenced by the greatly increased profile and the growing value of food and drink to the Scottish economy. Many thanks. Stuart Stevenson to be followed by Mike Mackenzie. Thank you, Presiding Officer. I'm not sure that when Graham Day referred to the cabinet secretary's profile he will be answerable for that at a later stage. Let me join others in congratulating Joan McAlpine in extolling the virtues of the freezing galloway and the food that's produced there and giving those of us from elsewhere in Scotland the opportunity to talk about the important cultural Scottish identity and heritage that comes from food and drink across Scotland. Scottish Food and Drink has even joined the current election campaign. Apparently, someone in the south-west of England, I saw in one of today's papers, was complaining that Scots were taking over even the full English breakfast down in Devon where Haggis had become part of that meal. I think that's great because I think that Haggis is wonderful food and I suppose that even in south-west England it's probably optional. There are bigger success stories in our food and drink industry. Reports have just come out in the last 24 hours. First time our farm salmon has crossed £500 million. I think that there will be very few members of this Parliament who have not eaten salmon products that come from processing facilities in my constituency. There are small successes as well. The bara snail is now the connoisseur's snail of choice in French restaurants not only in France but in Scotland. The addition of virgin rapeseed oil is improving the quality of cooking and salads throughout Scotland and internationally and started in the north-east of Scotland. We now have garlic farms in the cabinet secretary's constituency. Food is an important part of tourism and tourism is a very important industry for us indeed. Food will bring people to Scotland and, of course, if we don't get it right, it will make sure that they don't come back. When we talk about food, we are not necessarily talking about Michelin-starred outlets, although those are excellent and greater in number than they were in decades past. We are talking about perhaps simple things such as the quality of food in a local fish and chip shop. I am delighted that when I go for fish and chips to my local outlet, I generally will have the choice of six or eight different kinds of fish, all locally sourced, all absolutely excellent. In Frees and Galloway, I have previously referred to the fact that that was where I very first had yoghurt in the 1960s. I continue to have fond memories of that. The point about our industry is that two thirds of our businesses in food and drink reckon that they are going to increase their staff over the next four years. We have a significant number of areas that are entering into the sustainable food cities scheme. We expect that, by 2016, more than 50 areas across the United Kingdom will have gone on that. One of the things that we dealt with at First Minister's Questions was food banks. That raises an issue of food being available to people with limited resources. It also raises the issue of food and diet. The obesity problems that we have now are because of the preparation of much of our good-quality food. If we have good-quality food, we can prepare it better and deliver it to address that agenda. Let me just close by talking about one dish that you can get in my constituency, which is a modest enough dish costing about a pound. That is Downey's of White Hills cullan skink scotch pie. That is the most wonderful scotch pie that you will have in the world, so good food can be very affordable indeed. I hope that Downey's continues to produce that scotch pie and entertain my palette and digestive system. And those of people across Scotland. Mike MacKenzie, after which I will move the closing speeches and the cabinet secretary. On the last occasion, we debated the subject that Alex Ferguson expressed a concern about. As we have debated the subject on a number of occasions, there was a danger of us repeating ourselves. I would like to assure Mr Ferguson that I am not going to repeat myself on this occasion. I also assure you, Presiding Officer, that I am not going to repeat the offer that I made then to invite the then, Presiding Officer, out on a date. I am sure that he will not be disappointed in that. Our food and drink sector is undoubtedly a success story. Whiskey is the UK's top drink expert and our farm salmon is now the UK's top food expert, but although our food and drink travels very well, especially in this year of food and drink, it's best of all when sampled here in Scotland. I'm thinking of the two mackerel I still catch every year cooked along with new potatoes for supper on the shore, watching the sun going down over a softly sighing warm summer sea. I'm thinking of breakfast of sweet pink freshly caught brown trout on the shores of a secret lochen high up in the hills in the early morning, watching the dawn come up. I'm thinking of the best bannocks I've ever had in Tingwall and Shetland, fresh baked by an elderly lady that I instantly fell in love with. A man can usually only dream of bannocks like that, but for those outlanders not so inclined to wild food, to adventure and to romance, Scotland now has many, many hotels, hostel raised in restaurants, where you can sample these rare delights and instantly feel at home in their warm embrace, where you can eat in good and convivial company, and where you can sip a smoky dram and embloy yourself in the mysteries of a good book in front of an aromatic peat fire. But, Presiding Officer, our excellent food and drink, our fine and healthy produce, should not be the province of visitors alone. It's always been a curious irony that we, Scots, snack and Scottish seafood in Spain, but ignore it when we're at home. There is much added value to be gained from eating our own fare, supporting our local economies, supporting our farmers and our crofters and our fishermen, supporting our abattoirs, our butcher's and our baker's, supporting the whole local supply chain that is only too keen to put wholesome healthy food onto our tables. And in doing so, Presiding Officer, by reducing, also reducing our food miles, we help save our environment from the curse of carbon, that element that's so necessary to life on this planet, but at the same time is capable of destroying it. That's why I'm glad that we've launched a further food initiative, becoming a good food nation, to help encourage our public authorities, our councils and our health boards, to encourage them to lead by example, to encourage them to lead by procuring and using local food, to encourage them to lead by signing up to offering fresh, seasonal, local and sustainable produce in any and all of the food outlets they have jurisdiction over. Scotland's food and drink story so far is a successful story, but success can build on success, and there is more still that we can do to build a healthy economy, healthy minds and healthy bodies on the basis of a diet of our own local food. And I look forward to visiting Dumfries and Galway, hopefully in the not-too-distant future and sample some of the fine fair that I've heard this afternoon that's an offer there. Many thanks. I'll call on the cabinet secretary Richard. I've not had seven minutes on thereby, cabinet secretary. Thank you. As ever, I'd like to start by congratulating and thanking Joan McAlpine for bringing this motion before Parliament today, and I think between Joan McAlpine, Alec Ferguson and Lane Murray, they did a fine job for Dumfries and Galway to resports, extolling the virtues of that wonderful part of Scotland that we're largely discussing today, and particularly thanks to Joan for her tour of the food and drink projects of that great region. I can tell her that I have thought carefully about it, but I have decided to accept her invitation to visit one of her distilleries in her area, so I very much look forward to receiving that invitation. I too find visits to the distilleries very, very satisfying. I also want to congratulate Graham Day for managing to discuss Mackay's jams and her bro's smokies in a debate on Dumfries and Galway, which was well done, and also Stuart Stevenson for introducing the Cullen Skink Scotch pie, which I have to admit I haven't heard of. I do know the company well that he says produces it, so I look forward to tasting one of them in due course, and also the processing of Scotland's salmon at the Fraserborough factory, which Stuart Stevenson managed to introduce. Of course, we found out that the keys to Mackay's heart are a couple of freshly baked bannocks for all the people out there. We managed to do a good tour of Scotland's food and drink industry. I think that we are all very proud of Scotland's food and drink industry. It is a sector that is growing in strength and stature, and Scotland's reputation for our natural lardar is now world renowned. It is quite amazing when we think that between the years of 2008 and 2012 food and drink turnover in this country increased by over 21 per cent compared to just over 8 per cent for the UK, so 21 per cent versus 8 per cent perhaps, because of the indication of just how well the industry is doing in this country at the current time. Turnovers now are just under £14 billion. Again, another fascinating thought is, as Stuart Stevenson alluded to in others, when you think that the UK's biggest food export is now Scottish salmon, which is now broken, the £500 million barrier for the first time, and the biggest UK drink export is, of course, Scotch whisky. That really is a huge achievement for Scotland, given that we make up just over 8 per cent of the UK population, yet the biggest food and drink exports come from this country. It is the food and drink revolution that is taking place, and it has a long way to go. We are discussing largely today the food and drink revolution in Dumfries and Galloway, but the fact that in Dumfries and Galloway and throughout Scotland we have fantastic food that is tasty to eat, it is nutritious, it is fresh, it is environmentally sustainable ensures that the people of Scotland are very, very proud of the industry and of Scotland's larder, so that is why we did take the decisions of government to designate this year, 2015, as Scotland's second year of food and drink. Food and drink is not just an industry, it plays a key part in our identity as well as promoting Scotland around the world as a tourist destination, which, of course, is very heavily featured in many member's contributions. Building on the momentum of the year of homecoming, we are continuing to promote the increased use of Scottish produce across the tourism and events industry. As we have heard, Dumfries and Galloway has much, much fine food and drink produce, whether it is the fresh seafood from along the Solway coast, or the Galloway beef from the rolling pastures of that fantastic region, or the variety of cheeses, which have also been mentioned by many members, there is really one of Scotland's richest larders in Dumfries and Galloway. Again, as Joan McAlpine and others mentioned, as part of the year of food and drink, there are many, many initiatives under way to celebrate food and drink in Dumfries and Galloway. We have the Food Town Day on 6 June, which has been held in Castle Douglas, which again is going to be a showcase for the region's iconic products. £4,000 is coming from the year of food and drink special events fund to help to make that happen. There is going to be artisan, producer stalls, cooking demonstrations and so on. Also, as many members have mentioned, we have to promote more and more the tourism potential of our food and drink in our larder. Food tourism is something that the Scottish Government is giving even more attention to than ever before, as indeed is the industry itself. Food and drink accounts for around 20 per cent of tourism spend while visitors are with us here in Scotland. That is why there is now a lot of effort to have much more collaboration between tourism and food businesses and local agencies and others working to help to support local economies, because that is certainly a way to generate more jobs and attract more people to our country. Of course, there is lots of evidence that more people spend more money on local food than what they do otherwise, so they are willing to pay a premium if they know the provenance of the food and where it comes from. It is worthwhile for local food businesses in the hospitality sector, in different regions of Scotland, in Dumfries and Galloway and others, to source more local food, because that is what visitors from abroad or elsewhere in Scotland want to experience and they are willing to pay for that, so it is a good business at the same time. That has got a big, big future. As part of our innovative approach to promoting the tourism experience in terms of food, we are now establishing agri-tourism monitor farms and we have one at Lagan Outdoors Centre in Gatehouse of Fleet, so that is a new initiative aimed at promoting agri-tourism. Of course, I just recently received an invitation to attend there, so I am hoping to visit there in due course. Scottish Enterprise and others are working behind that initiative in extending the monitor farm concept that exists elsewhere into agri-tourism. We also have the new Artisan Food Trail being established in Dumfries and Galloway. Again, that is being supported. That is receiving £15,000 from the community food fund to assist with its development and there is going to be match funding from that very exciting innovative initiative from the local council as well. That collaboration between local authorities, local initiatives, Scottish Government funds and everyone else is certainly delivering dividends. Since we are talking about food and drink in South West Scotland, it is worth mentioning. It is important that we have the raw materials available for the fantastic ice cream that is mentioned by many members. I am speaking about the dairy sector and its importance in South West Scotland. That is why, as part of the Scottish dairy action plan that we launched recently, we are bringing together a whole series of measures at the heart of that, which is adding value to the raw material. In terms of whether it is ice cream or cheese or other products, local economies and Dumfries and Galloway, if we add value to the raw material, that will create many more jobs locally, as well as, hopefully, more products being developed in the marketplace. The dairy plan and ensuring that the raw materials are there for the future, which we can add value to, is very important for the future of food and drink in Dumfries and Galloway and elsewhere. I can see that there is not much time left, because after talking about all this fantastic food and drink, I am sure that we all want to go and eat some for lunch, but there are many initiatives happening at the moment in Dumfries and Galloway. It is a fantastic area. There are so many fine companies using their ingenuity, their hard work, their imagination and innovation to produce new food and drink products, to take them to international marketplace, as well as to attract more people to Dumfries and Galloway to enjoy them on their doorsteps. That is fantastic for Scotland's global reputation as a food and drink country, it is fantastic for local economies and Dumfries and Galloway is playing a huge role in the year of food and drink in Scotland. I congratulate everyone involved and also John McAlpine for bringing forward today's motion. Many thanks and I thank you all. I now suspend this meeting of Parliament until 2.30 this afternoon.