First Minister pays tribute to livestock sector
Year of food and drink set to boost Scotland’s reputation
Local food producers have been congratulated for enhancing Scotland’s reputation as a land of food and drink.
First Minister Alex Salmond praised the livestock and food and drink industries for securing the unrivalled health status of Scotland’s animals, the premium quality of our produce, and the provenance of the Saltire brand.
Welcoming almost 200 delegates from 18 countries to the third International Gathering of Highland Cattle Breeders at Stirling Castle tonight (Wednesday), the First Minister raised a toast to the industries behind the success of Scotland’s Year of Food and Drink.
Mr Salmond said:
"Just as every great dish relies on the quality of its ingredients, Scotland’s reputation as a land of food and drink rests on our top quality produce.
"In Scotland we take great pride in the high health status of our livestock. The farming industry has worked closely with Government to keep our animals free from disease, eradicated ailments and continually strengthened the health status of our herds.
"By adopting a joint approach, we ensured that the recent outbreaks of bluetongue and foot and mouth disease did not reach our livestock. And last year, it was hugely encouraging that Scotland was declared free from bovine tuberculosis.
"Despite the current pressure on public finance, we recently announced a £400,000 plan to work towards the eradication of bvd – a highly infectious disease which costs the industry tens of thousands of pounds every year.
"Our belief in the quality of our produce led us to launch Scotland’s first food and drink policy. The entire industry, from primary producers to processors and retailers, has embraced this initiative and reaped the rewards as sales of Scottish food and drink brands have increased by 30 per cent across Britain over the past three years, boosting our economy by £425 million.
"Sales in Scotland increased by 22 per cent in the same period and last year Scottish food and drink exports reached an all-time high of over £4 billion. Our ambitions are high and our target is to increase the industry’s value in sales from £10 billion to £12.5 billion by 2017.
"We, the Scottish Government, invite you to match our commitment and ensure that our country meets this ambition."
Background
Mr Salmond will speak at a dinner to be held this evening (Wednesday) in the Great Hall at Stirling Castle. Rural Affairs Secretary Richard Lochhead and Minister for Parliamentary Business Bruce Crawford will also attend the dinner along with almost 200 conference delegates. In honour of Scotland’s Year of Food and Drink the menu had a distinctly Scottish flavour.
This is the third International Gathering of Highland Cattle Breeders. The first was held in Edinburgh in 1995 and the second in Wyoming in 2005. More than 170 enthusiasts of the Highland Cattle breed are taking part in the four day gathering in Glasgow. Delegates have travelled from across the world including Chile, Australia, New Zealand, USA, Canada, Germany, Denmark, Switzerland and Finland.
