A short-life taskforce has been established to monitor potential disruption to food security and supply resulting from the war in Ukraine.
Set up by the Scottish Government, the Food Security and Supply Taskforce will be co-chaired by Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and Islands, Mairi Gougeon, and James Withers, chief executive of Scotland Food and Drink.
The taskforce will include key food and drink industry leaders and will meet frequently over the coming weeks.
Action
Ms Gougeon said: We need to take action now to better understand the potential impact of disruption to the food supply chain in Scotland, how industry and Government might work together to manage and mitigate those, and be alert to the resulting impact on the cost of food products.
Mr Withers added: Immediate supplies of food and animal feed are secure, even if prices are rising sharply. However, while much still remains unknown in terms of the impact of the war on global supply chains, there is clearly a shock to the system coming.
Initiative
NFU Scotland welcomed the initiative, with chief executive Scott Walker urging the Government to act fast on any recommendations from the taskforce.
The move came as the EU set out plans to release up to 500 million (416m) of emergency funding to support its farmers and ensure food security in light of the war in Ukraine. The money will come, for the first time, from an agricultural crisis fund.
European Ministers have also promised to look at proposals to boost fertiliser autonomy, with the bloc currently dependent on imports from Russia and Belarus.
