Try mentioning the “agricultural subsidy reform”, and see the light drain from other people’s eyes. Apart from a handful of die-hard enthusiasts, the new Agriculture Bill is failing to ignite the nation’s imagination. But it should! The government is designing a new farming subsidy system – the
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Today’s Programme for Government (PfG) offers welcome measures to mitigate the impact of the cost of living crisis on food insecurity. It also promises further action for more nature friendly farming, forestry and fishing. Food is scattered in other portfolios too, and it is clear that the
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Joined-up policy, like a common language, often feels more like a dream than an aspiration. Kant said ‘Out of the crooked timber of humanity, no straight thing was ever made’, and it may be that silos are as inevitable as death and taxes. But there are times
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Picture this: the Royal Highland Show, the Scottish Government Pavilion. Organic snacks, a display of beautiful Scottish organic produce from across the sectors. A handful of presenters from key operators including Scotland Food & Drink, talking about how they could support growing the organic sector. The occasion
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Lambing’s done and silage hasn’t quite started. May is the deadline each year for farmers and crofters in Scotland to submit their application for farm support, and this year it’s just a little bit different. Alongside the main scheme (which is staying put for now) the Government’s
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The Scottish Government is currently on consultation overdrive, but 4 key consultations fit so closely together that it’s almost impossible to respond to one without referring to the others. In the words of Scottish Government: ‘Agricultural Transition in Scotland’ asks us to consider a successor to the
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…and we need to work together to get it where it needs to be. Blink and you’ve missed it: the long-awaited Good Food Nation Bill was published by the Government just over a week ago. The Bill has come a long way, and over the past 5
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It’s hard not to be impressed by this year’s Programme for Government. There’s a definite green tinge and a renewed focus on getting stuff done as hopefully we emerge from the pandemic. When it comes to food, it’s a jigsaw puzzle with bits and pieces scattered across
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Much of last week’s report from the IPCC– and the corresponding media headlines – talked about the truly apocalyptic consequences of not taking action on climate. The report spelled out just how bad things are already, but also used specially developed future scenarios (the Shared Socioeconomic Pathways,
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The debate about farming and climate change has been more than a little contentious. When an issue is this complex, it can become dominated by sound bites: cows are bad, sheep destroy the landscape, and we should put most of Scotland to trees to save the planet.
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