Policy
Enabling constructive conversation between government and business.
Our role
It is vital that we build a policy and regulatory environment that supports responsible growth across our industry. It is also crucial to use policy and regulation effectively to underpin Scotland's global reputation for animal welfare, food safety, traceability, sustainability, and quality. We work alongside the Scottish and UK Governments on relevant regulatory and policy areas. We ensure policy development is grounded in the reality of running a food and drink business. Our role is to understand the needs and concerns of all industry businesses and relay these to government, whilst understanding the needs and concerns of government and relaying these to industry.
Summary of Scottish Government’s Programme for Government (PfG) 2023-24
The Scottish Government’s latest PfG was published on 5th September 2023 and included a foreword from the First Minister (FM) Humza Yousaf which reiterated that the Scottish Government is focussed on three missions:
- Equality: Tackling poverty and protecting people from harm.
- Opportunity: Building a fair, green and growing economy.
- Community: Delivering efficient and effective public services.
Our communication with Government and policy work in action
Please see below communications we have had with officials to share the industry’s opinions, updates and recommendations, as well as our commentary on current policy discussions.
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Get in touch
Members will be informed about relevant policy work directly by Joe Hind, our Policy Manager. If you are not a member but have any questions, please contact Joe.
Members and non-members can also sign up to our Key Issues Update, where key policy updates are shared.
Find out more
Collaboration is key
A United Approach
We lead the Scotland Food & Drink Partnership which is made up of key industry partners, the Scottish Government and SEFARI, an academic body.
The Partnership meets regularly to ensure dialogue and cooperation across the industry, and each of the partners run their own projects and programmes to help businesses across the food and drink landscape.
The Knowledge Bank
One of the key programmes of the Scotland Food & Drink Partnership, also funded by The Scottish Government, is The Knowledge Bank. It provides a unique set of insights into the food and drink industry in Scotland and offers a one-stop-shop for data, analysis, and information.
Industry news & views
Get the latest news, views and updates from Scotland Food & Drink, and from all across the food and drink industry.
International law firm CMS is staging a free-to-attend event highlighting the growing risk of class action lawsuits facing Scotland’s food and drink (F&D) industry.
Industry event, ‘Showcasing the Larder of the Lowlands’ is set to return later this month, following a successful inaugural event last year where over 50 producers from across the region presented products to a wider range of buyers from across Scotland and the UK.
One of Skye’s most charming destinations, Duisdale House Hotel, is proud to announce it has successfully made it to the final round of the hit BBC Scotland TV show in hopes to be named Scotland’s Greatest Escape.