Last year we were reflecting on the rare moment of policy confluence for farming and land use, with the land reform, farm subsidy reform and Just Transition Commission’s work jointly presenting an opportunity for deeper change. But agriculture and land use are only part of the food
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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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Tom Cruise fans waiting for the latest instalment next month have already seen a car chase trailer with a 5 series 540i BMW. Even driven much more carefully than in the film, this gas guzzler struggles to do better than 20 miles per gallon. Since 2020, the
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At yesterday’s Committee meeting the many attempts to improve the Good Food Nation Bill went nowhere, as the Government was in no mood to compromise. The amendments clarifying the Bill’s purpose as giving effect to the right to food, setting up an independent food commission, committing to
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The Rural Affairs, Islands and Natural Environment (RAINE) Committee is currently taking evidence on the Good Food Nation Bill. And the most striking thing about the cross-party committee and all the witnesses called so far is the consensus around wanting the Bill to do more. As convenor
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The ‘Ending the need for food banks’ consultation is currently under way. Read our response and share your views with the Scottish Government. Deadline for submitting a response is 25th January 2022. When the Ending the Need for Food Banks steering group was set up in 2021,
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Nourish Scotland went to COP26 with the aim of moving food systems up the agenda, carve out space for the voices of local governments and farmers and raise Scotland’s ambition on sustainable food. This COP marked the moment for states to submit new Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs)
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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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