NO MORE DELAY ON LOCAL FOOD

4.48.55pm BST (GMT +0100) Wed 25th Jun 2008

Jim Hume MSP, Liberal Democrat MSP for the South of Scotland, has urged the Scottish Government to end the delay that has characterised its handling of the national policy for food and drink.

The Scottish Government has announced its "next steps" towards a national policy for food and drink.

Jim Hume said:-

"After a year and a half of wracking its brains, the Scottish Government has come up with another investigation and another inquiry. This is not good enough. Warm words will not give Scotland's food producers the support they need during this difficult time of rising fuel and feed costs.

"Almost exactly a year ago, in a debate led by the Liberal Democrats, the Environment Minister agreed that improved public sector procurement was necessary to encourage the purchase of local, healthy, high quality food. This proposal has attracted cross-party and Government support for over a year now.

"Although it is encouraging that the SNP has promised to change the Scottish Government's catering contract to include local food, this is not ambitious enough and it has taken far too long.

The MSP continued:-

"In opposition, Richard Lochhead urged rapid action, saying 'we need proactive action on the issue from Scotland's responsible minister'. As the Environment Secretary in Government, he has described the new food policy as 'long overdue". So I ask the Cabinet Secretary: where is it?

"Ministers are frustratingly reticent about taking real action on local food, preferring instead to hide behind consultations and policy exercises. When will the Government's action match its rhetoric?"