Why Should We Buy From Local Farmers?
By Kirsty Russell and Nicole Richmond
Our Farmland
Scotland is known for its vast countryside and farmland areas which thrive in the unique Scottish climate. This allows for the production of good quality protein in cows such as Aberdeen Angus, which are able to put on flesh easily from low quality grass. This allows for the production of high quality meat which is important in maintaining a balanced and healthy diet, especially in young people.
As grass actively grows in Scottish farmland, it then takes in carbon into the soil and reduces it from the atmosphere. According to a presentation by Farming FoodSteps From Farm, 82% of Scotland’s land is not suitable for growing crops, suggesting that Scotland thrives on livestock farming. However, Scotland has productive arable (suitable for growing crops) soil in the east of the country, including some of the best for the production of wheat and barley compared to anywhere else in the world.
Interview With Lorna Slater
Through an interview with Lorna Slater, Co-Leader of the Scottish Green Party discussing the climate emergency, we asked her thoughts on buying local and reducing the international transport of these products. She enthusiastically replied, “absolutely”, and followed on by stating that we have “very high quality agriculture…great farming and we have a long tradition of producing good quality food and I think we can do more to promote our great produce that we produce here as well as encouraging people to buy it and share it”. This shows that it is an important topic which would be beneficial to our local areas as well as the the rest of the world. 
Transportation of Produce to UK – How Far Is Too Far?
The UK currently imports around 35% of the beef and veal from other countries annually, according to an article by The British Meat Processors Association. This transportation of food over long distances generates large quantities of carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere which contributes to air pollution. This is said to be the most dangerous environmental threat caused by transportation. By buying local and supporting local farmers, we can reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
Save Your Food, Save Your Planet
Along with this, we can also reduce greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere by making good use of the food we buy and only buying what we will eat. We can also consider how far food has had to travel to sit on your plate. However, if we do not finish our food, we should make sure we dispose of food waste properly through the use of our compost bins to reduce emissions into our atmosphere. Through doing this, we can help support our local farming community whilst also making a difference on the impacts of climate change on the world we share.
