Banff & Buchan MP Welcomes Scottish Food & Drink Commitment

Banff & Buchan MP, Dr Eilidh Whiteford, has welcomed a commitment by Deputy First Minister John Swinney to maintain Scotland’s strong record of growth in the food and drink sector.

Among the commitments were a £5million fund for promoting Scotland’s regional food producers; a pledge that the Scottish Government will work hard to secure a good deal for Scottish producers at CAP negotiations in 2017; and implementation of the Scotland Food and Drink Plan, which will target key overseas markets for growth.

Speaking following the announcement, Dr Whiteford said this represented good news for producers across the country.

She said:

“Banff and Buchan is home to many excellent food and drink businesses, from farming and fishing right up to secondary and tertiary producers who market north-east food and drink across the world. Scottish food and drink has a long tradition of being among the best in the world, and this is reflected in the growth figures over the last five years.

“Though we’ve seen a phenomenal growth in food and drink exports since 2012, there’s still plenty to be done. The world’s demand for first-class Scottish food is insatiable, and I am pleased to see the Scottish Government taking a proactive lead in the matter.”

SNP Scottish Parliament candidate for Aberdeenshire East, Gillian Martin, added:

“This represents a clear commitment to the North-east’s world-beating food and drinks sector, and an ambitious programme to boost exports.

“The Scottish Government is listening to producers, and is taking proactive measures to bring the very best of Scotland’s produce to an ever wider market.”

Scottish food and drink exports to the rest of the world are worth around £1.1billion every year. This represents an increase of 20% on turnover in 2014