NOURISH SCOTLAND MAGAZINE AUTUMN 2014 £3.50 • ISSUE 3 Where next for food? Changing what we eat • Changing how we farm and grow food Changing local food economies • Changing public policies About Nourish... Nourish works alongside others for Nourish exists to establish a debates of various kinds, making a Scotland where: sustainable food system in Scotland the link between a localised food based on ecological farming and system and its positive outcomes • We eat more of what we short supply chains. Changing our for economic development, job produce and produce more of food culture and public policies creation, skill development, health, what we eat. are key to achieving this. Nourish environmental stewardship and • You can find healthy, local, facilitates this change through justice. seasonal, organic food all across engaging with organisations, the country. community initiatives, politicians Nourish’s work also directly • There is a stronger food culture, and officials. We work to influence contributes to growing the local which is bringing people closer policies from local to EU level. For food economy, e.g. through training together. the local food community Nourish programmes, such as the New • Everyone can afford to feed provides a platform for networking Farmer Programme (teaching food themselves and their family and sharing best practice. production, processing, marketing well. and business skills) or linking local • There is a diversity of thriving Nourish makes sure that food food producers with community small food businesses. is brought to the fore in public food initiatives. Join Nourish... Would you like Nourish to Nourish membership includes To join us please see our website represent your views and those a subscription to our tri-annual http://www.nourishscotland.org/ of the wider local food movement magazine, discounts to Nourish or contact us at the details below. in Scotland to government and events, and an opportunity to industry? Would you like to be vote and stand for positions on If you would like to connect with part of a movement for a just the board of directors. Membership like-minded people with similar and sustainable food system in is currently available in three interests and find out what is Scotland and beyond? categories: individual, business, happening, both locally and Then join us! and food groups. nationally join the online community on www.nourishscotland.org.uk. Nourish Scotland, 54 Manor Place, Edinburgh, EH3 7EH Tel: 0131 226 1497 • Email: [email protected] www.nourishscotland.org 2 | www.nourishscotland.org CONTENTS In this issue 4 Editorial: Where next for food? 5 What’s on at Nourish 6 Sixteen views on where next for food in Scotland 7 Voices from Scottish Commentators • Lesley Riddoch, Author • Alex Renton, Journalist 1 8 Voices from Scottish Politicians • Claire Baker MSP, Scottish Labour Party, Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment • Alex Fergusson MSP, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party, Member of the Rural Affairs, Climate Change and Environment Committee • Rob Gibson MSP, Scottish National Party, Convener of the Rural Affairs, Climate Change and Environment Committee • Jim Hume MSP, Scottish Liberal Democrat Party, Member of the Rural Affairs, Climate Change and Environment Committee • Alison Johnstone MSP, Scottish Greens, Food and Rural Affairs spokesperson for the Scottish Green Party • Alyn Smith MEP, Member of the European Parliament, Scottish National Party 11 Voices from the Food, Farming, Fishing and 2 Environment Sector • Jim Fairlie, Farmer, Logiealmond, Perthshire • Scottish Tenant Farmer’s Association, Christopher Nicholson, Farmer, Kidsdale Farm, Whithorn • National Farmers Union Scotland, Jonathan Hall, Director of Policy • Scottish Environment LINK, Diarmid Hearns, Head of Policy, National Trust for Scotland 3 • Scottish Fishermen’s Federation, Bertie Armstrong, Front cover images copyright: Chief Executive 1st row L-R – © Nourish; © Nourish; © Soil Association. TELL US WHAT • Scotland Food & Drink, James Withers, Chief Executive 2nd row L-R – © Nourish; © Plantlife; © Scottish Tenant Farmer Association. • Scottish Organic Forum, Laura Stewart, Director, YOU THINK! 3rd row L-R – © Nourish; © Nourish; © Niall Duffy. Soil Association Scotland Please send any comments 4th row L-R – © Nourish; © Matilda Scharsach. or magazine enquiries, • Scottish Land & Estates, Andrew Midgley, Head of Policy 5th row L-R – © Jonathan Hall; © Nourish; © Jo Hunt. 6th row L-R – © Nourish; © Whitmuir. including advertising and 16 Nourish Conference 2014: responses to articles to Above: 1 © Arpita Shah; 2 © Sally Darbyshire; [email protected] Our Common Wealth of Food 3 © Sally Darbyshire Nourish Scotland Magazine is published by Nourish Scotland. © Nourish Scotland. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without the express permission of the publisher. Registered address: 54 Manor Place, Edinburgh, EH3 7EH. Tel: 0131 226 1497. Email [email protected]. Website: www.nourishscotland.org. www.nourishscotland.org | 3 Where next for food? Welcome to this special edition of the Nourish Magazine where we focus on the future of food in Scotland after the independence vote on September 18th. The Commonwealth Games were eleven days of Nourish is working for a transformation of the pride and joy – and a referendum-free zone. Food food system in Scotland. We know it’s technically wasn’t centre stage for most people – though the possible for everyone in Scotland to eat well without Commonwealth Games food charter certainly helped relying on forced labour and without inflicting so to raise the profile of fresh Scottish food. The Games much damage on the environment here and in other have helped us see ourselves as a nation that’s good countries. But it means a big social and political at sport: there’s a few more years’ work before we change, which will take at least a generation. see ourselves as a good food nation. Is this more or less likely to happen if Scotland votes Pete Ritchie The history of the Commonwealth and the history to become an independent country? Arguably, many of food in Scotland are linked in many ways. Scots of the levers over food policy are already devolved DIRECTOR OF were pushed or pulled off the land here to build to Scotland – agriculture, environment, health and NOURISH SCOTLAND food-exporting economies in Canada, Australia and education. But we see that independence could have New Zealand. Scots ran plantations in the Caribbean, a broader positive influence over the medium term. bringing sugar and tobacco to the good Scots diet, money to Glasgow and playing our part in the misery Self-confidence: as former Chief Medical Officer and injustice of the slave trade. Harry Burns commented recently, independence could bring a dividend in people feeling more in Slavery and forced labour still underpin much of our control of their lives. This would encourage faster ‘cheap’ food system, and land grabs are back in the change – not just in how people eat individually, but headlines as the 21st century ‘scramble for Africa’ also in how communities engage in their local food intensifies. system. At Nourish’s Glasgow conference in October, we’ll be Local democracy: independence may increase the discussing with present-day farmers from Malawi, pressure for greater local power and accountability in India and the Caribbean how to build a fairer food Scotland. Cities, towns and rural communities could system and what Scotland can usefully do to support become more active in shaping local food economies this, locally and globally. and land use. 4 | www.nourishscotland.org EDITORIAL More powers at national level: land reform, tax, social security, minimum wage and competition What’s on at Nourish? policy are all areas where new policies could make Despite the summer holidays it has continued to be busy in the Nourish food fairer (though the challenge of joining up office, with a constant stream of official consultations, research work policy across all the areas already devolved has and events. We’ve continued to work to survey the local food economy in not yet been fully tackled). Food banks will not Scotland. We received 180 responses from a wide range of businesses and disappear on September 19th if there is a yes vote: social enterprises. Over the next few months we will analyse the results but all the powers to do something better would and hope to publish our findings later this year. be moving to Holyrood. On the policy side, we submitted evidence to the Scottish Parliament on The constitution: Scotland’s constitution may or the creation of the food standards agency successor body in Scotland. We may not end up including the right to food or the also responded to the Scottish Government regarding research priorities rights of Nature – but the debate will sharpen our for rural affairs and the environment 2016-2021. We gave oral evidence to thinking about the sort of food system we want. the Scottish Parliament’s Rural Affairs and Climate Change Committee on the Common Agricultural Policy and the rural development plan and kept Engagement in Europe: an independent in touch with the Procurement Reform Bill as it made its journey through Scotland would play a larger and more the parliamentary process. We also submitted a response to the All-Party distinctive role in Europe. We’ve probably seen Parliamentary Inquiry into Hunger and Food Poverty. the last round of CAP subsidies in their present form, but having our own voice in Europe would Coming up, we will be submitting written evidence in relation to the make it easier for Scotland to get a better deal. Community Empowerment Bill, which contains some very wide-ranging Just as importantly, it would raise the profile provisions on land reform, asset transfer, allotments and growing and of the debate in Scotland about how to reform community planning. We’ll also be attending meetings of the Scottish Rural the CAP so that public money is used to deliver Parliament steering group, and working on research and policy on food public goods through food and farming.