Scotland’s Rural Affairs Secretary Mairi Gougeon has written to the Prime Minister to call for better engagement between both governments on the issue of food security.
In a letter today (Friday, May 19), she said she was “disappointed” that Scottish ministers were not invited to the UK’s Farm to Fork Summit earlier this week.
The MSP for Angus North and Mearns called for details of the announcements made at the summit, and in the Prime Minister’s coinciding public letter to farmers.
“It is vital…that we receive some more information about any funding announcements described in your letter this week to enable us to gauge the sufficiency, extent and implications of those announcements for the sector and to understand how these apply to Scottish agri-food producers and those of the other devolved governments,” she said.
“A key question, for example, is whether this is new money as Scotland would clearly want to see its fair share if it is,” she added.
Gougeon said that without further information, she is “not convinced” that the announcements will go far enough for the sector.
Among the announcements in Sunak’s letter was a set of principles regarding new trade deals, which Gougeon said are “a little too late” and confirm that earlier trade deals were “poorly negotiated by the UK government”.
“While we will wait to see the effect of these new principles in the negotiation of future arrangements, it is imperative that UK ministers work together with, and actively listen to, ministers from the devolved governments and industry to ensure that our agri-food producers across the whole of the UK are better protected going forward,” she said.
The Scottish minister copied this letter to Welsh Minister for Rural Affairs Lesley Griffiths and to the head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service.
