1. Combat Financial Uncertainty Making a living from farming is not easy. According to the Scottish Government, agriculture in Scotland is dependent on farm subsidies with over 60% of farms making a loss without them. The average farm business loss from agricultural activities is £14,600. For sheep (and beef) farmers in Less Favoured Areas, however, these …
What we know is that future government funding will reward clean, green and profitable initiatives. In announcing the new Agricultural Transformation Programme, Rural Economies Minister, Fergus Ewing, stated: “Scotland’s land and the manner in which we use and manage it must adapt and change…”. He urged “farmers, crofters and land managers to make changes to …
Consumer preferences are changing. One undeniable change is the rapid increase in the number of people adopting a vegan lifestyle. The number of vegans in Britain quadrupled from 2014-2019. A survey by supermarket giant, Waitrose, found that one in three Brits have stopped or reduced their meat consumption and the consumer research group, Finder, predict …
As indicated above, mitigating climate change is high on the Government’s agenda for the future of Scottish agriculture. Governmental decisions in this area are informed by peer-reviewed climate science; so, let’s take a look at what they know. By sector, agriculture and related land-use comprise almost a quarter of Scotland’s greenhouse gas emissions. By food …
Possibly you are thinking, that’s all very well, but my land isn’t suitable for growing food (please hold that thought until you see some of our innovative case-examples!). According to the Scottish Government, 77% of Scotland’s agricultural land is classed as rough grazing or permanent pasture and has, historically, only been used to graze sheep …
According to Scotland’s Agricultural Census 2018 and 2019, only 9% of our agricultural land is used to grow crops. Half of this is used to grow livestock feed. Over 50% of cereals produced on Scottish farms are used for animal feed and we currently grow more vegetables to feed livestock than we do for human …
UK-wide, currently 55% of our cropland is used to grow animal feed. As stated in Reason 6, using all this existing cropland to grow food for human consumption would provide for the dietary needs of the entire nation thereby increasing our food self-sufficiency and food security. As the impact of Brexit looms, this becomes very …
7. Increase Food Self-Sufficiency and Food Security Read More »
It goes without saying that restoring native forests would be a massive win for ecosystems and biodiversity. Scotland is a beautiful country, some say the most beautiful in the world, but the reality is that only 2% of the native woodlands that once covered much of the country remain. Maybe our image of Scotland is …
This is a hot topic currently due to the Corona virus and connections drawn to the consumption of animal products. The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, The World Health Organisation, and the World Organisation for Animal Health have said that our increasing demand for animal protein is one of the main risk …
Professor Tim Lang, the UK’s leading expert on food policy, says we need to maximise our food self-sufficiency, not out of nationalism, but so we are in a position to contribute globally. Now, there’s a concept; one that has been buried under post-war years of plenty, greed and, frankly, selfishness. Our preoccupation with “me and …