Birnam Conference: Looking at Local Food - Scotland Food and Drink

Hosted by Stephen Jardine of Taste Communications, Scottish Farmer's Market Partnership's event gave a number of guest speakers an opportunity to express their opinions on how best to grow and protect the increasing demand for quality local produce in Sco

Date:

Thu, 08 Nov 2012

Source:

SFQC

Richard Lochhead, Secretary for Rural Affairs delivered the keynote speech in which he highlighted opportunities for showcasing Scottish food to the world at Homecoming, The Commonwealth Games and Ryder Cup in 2014. The Cabinet Secretary also drew attention towards a number of upcoming initiatives which are aimed at coordinating support and growth for local food suppliers and promoters.

Along with Richard Lochhead's presentation, delegates also heard from a number of other speakers; including Savour the Flavour?s Liz Ramsay and James Withers, CEO of Scotland Food and Drink.

Perthshire farmer Jim Fairlie - the man who brought farmers? markets to Scotland - was also present to discuss, not just the success of the Farmers? Markets Partnership, but also potential challenges facing the enterprise:

?I talk regularly to members of the public, either at markets or at social or official engagements, I make a point of asking them what they think about supporting farmers and was it important to them to buy Scottish. Mostly I hear positive responses, but over the last few years in particular, I?ve been hearing some pretty negative talk surrounding farmers markets.

?The usual thing is, there is far too much on offer that has nothing to do with farmers, and worse than that, they don?t believe that all that is being sold as direct from farmers or producers is the genuine article, i.e., it?s not coming directly from the provider.?

In response to Jim Fairlie?s concerns SFQC Chief Executive Tim Bailey said:

?The Scottish Farmers? Market Partnership are aware of the issues some customers have and as such they?ve asked the team at SFQC to develop a set of quality standards which can be applied to farmers? markets. We?ve already piloted a certification scheme designed to help protect the integrity and credibility of the markets and this should be launched in full within the next few months.?

Among the other speakers, Mark Bush, proprietor of Crieff-based Summer Harvest Oils, spoke passionately about how he built up his rapeseed oil business through using farmers? markets and door-to-door sales. With products now being stocked in supermarkets, and exports heading out to Oman and Denmark, Mark?s business is the perfect example of how a small supplier can grow and achieve success and sales beyond its immediate geographic location.

The increasing consumer demand and respect for local produce was also highlighted by John Sinclair, farmer and owner of Craigie?s Farm Deli. In his presentation he gave attendees an in-depth look at how to manage a successful farm shop.

At present Craigie?s Farm Deli sources 40% of its stock from John?s own land, while a further 44% comes from other areas across Scotland. Rather than importing fruit and veg which isn?t in season, John would rather sell what is freshly available and sourced locally.

Chris Hammond Marketing Communications Manager at SFQC said:

?The conference really highlighted the good work that has already been done across Scotland in terms of making sure local produce is top quality, desirable and accessible. There were a lot of ideas shared between delegates, and you could see that by working together across the industry, we can really push on and make the most of the upcoming opportunities for local suppliers.?

Over 70 delegates, including a number of producers and representatives from a variety of organisations, attended the event to hear from the speakers, swap ideas and share tips and case studies. With so much on the horizon in 2014, Scotland now has the perfect opportunity to market itself as a real food tourism destination while also increasing respect, demand and exposure of local produce to those?living in the country.

This article originally appeared on the SFQC website.

Source: http://www.scotlandfoodanddrink.org/news/article-info/4052/birnam-conference-looking-at-local-food.aspx

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