New climate change guidance released from the Scottish Government is encouraging all public bodies to consider it their duty to procure food in a sustainable manner. The move has been warmly welcomed by NFU Scotland.
The draft guidance, which forms part of the Public Bodies Climate Change Duties consultation, sets out a number of practical ways public bodies can contribute to tackling climate change, one of which is local food procurement. Public bodies have now been invited to give their views on the guidance.
James Withers, Chief Executive of NFU Scotland, said:
“As everyone gets to grips with their climate change responsibilities, it is reassuring to see that the message about the importance of sustainable, local food procurement is being highlighted by the Scottish Government to its agencies.
“The guidance clearly recognises that buying food from local, sustainable sources can help tackle climate change. As well as reducing food miles, it supports the industry in Scotland, which already operates to world class environmental standards but is striving to further improve. The benefits of local food procurement can already be seen on the ground. A recent study in East Ayrshire estimated that an average primary school can save 38 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year by buying local food.
“The wider agricultural industry is becoming more and more switched on to ways of mitigating climate change, and every day we are seeing innovative people within our industry really stepping up to the plate. That is what has helped the industry reduce its emissions by 23 percent since 1990. But everyone has their part to play, and it is reassuring to see the Scottish Government guiding public bodies in this way. This guidance marks another positive step towards Scotland achieving the most ambitious climate change targets seen anywhere in the world.”
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