Chamber and committees

Let me explain. In some areas, there may not be local facilities, such as abattoirs. There may not be infrastructure and processing facilities, and transport may be limited. We hear that those things are holding people back from supporting local producers and farmers and from getting involved in local procurement activity. Would it be right for the Scottish Government to support areas that have more difficulties in accessing local food because of those challenges? Would you consider that?

I have asked you this question before. How will the Good Food Nation (Scotland) Bill have regard to future farm policy and the work that the agriculture reform implementation oversight board is doing? How does it tie in with the natural environment bill and the climate change targets? We have unfortunately not had much time today to talk about sustainability goals or net zero.

Geoff Ogle of Food Standards Scotland said that there was no need for a new oversight board, but other witnesses, such as Mary Brennan, think that such a board is needed. Some people suggested that Public Health Scotland could do something. Given that we are considering the matter through the lens of the Good Food Nation (Scotland) Bill, I am slightly confused to hear that a separate piece of work is going on in that regard. How will the committee have the opportunity to understand that work that you are doing in parallel, given that what we have been doing is taking evidence on and asking questions about the bill?

Will that be a Scottish Government consultation that is separate from the good food nation consultation? Will you allow this committee to make recommendations?

On that point, should there be a reporting requirement on the sourcing of food for public procurement?

The evidence that the stakeholders have given has highlighted the limitations of that. The bill simply does not go far enough. As you have quite rightly said, you will listen to stakeholders, but what I am concerned about is whether you will listen to them and take on board the issues and challenges that they present or simply fall back on the excuse that the Good Food Nation (Scotland) Bill is just a framework bill. I have no guarantee so far from anyone in Government or from civil servants that the bill will set out to deliver the policy intent that you clearly want to achieve.

Will we be able to look at the agriculture reform implementation oversight board’s work to acknowledge what is happening in the Good Food Nation (Scotland) Bill?

[Inaudible.]—your comments about targets. How will the Good Food Nation (Scotland) Bill change Scotland’s relationship with food if we do not have targets for addressing childhood obesity and halving it by 2030? Would the Scottish Government be open to looking at the framework as it did in the example of the Islands (Scotland) Act 2018? Issues were dealt with in that act but it was still framework legislation. Would you be open to looking at how a targeted approach could shape the way that local authorities deliver and change Scotland’s relationship with food?

What will the relationship be between the Good Food Nation (Scotland) Bill, which is progressing more quickly, and the work on whether we need an oversight body that is independent of the current offering through, for example, Food Standards Scotland?

My question is a good progression from the previous set of questions. We know that the money that is spent by local authorities will return investment to local economies and we all want to encourage that. However, during our evidence sessions, we heard from many stakeholders that there are huge challenges with procurement. They are not only bureaucratic challenges but infrastructure issues, processing facility issues and budget restraints. Is the procurement system in Scotland broken?