WARNING - By their nature, text files cannot include scanned images and tables. The process of converting documents to text only, can cause formatting changes and misinterpretation of the contents can sometimes result. Wherever possible you should refer to the pdf version of this document. Cairngorms Food for Life Development Plan Draft 8 Images see PDF Page 2 Cairngorms Food for Life Development Plan Development of the National Food and Drink Policy, 2009 ÒFrameworks for healthy, environmentally sustainable consumption and production of food and drink should be developed to support ScotlandÕs economic growth and disease reduction goalsÉ. The frameworks should: ¥ Support the achievement of both the food and nutritional aspects of the Scottish dietary goals and review these goals at regular intervals. ¥ Include specific targets/goals for a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions across the whole food supply chain and for reduced ecological impact for the Scottish food system. ¥ Recognise the Ôwhole lifeÕ cost of food in the food supply chain. ¥ Incorporate a system to benchmark and measure change within the social, environmental and economic elements of sustainability.Ó Production of the Plan was funded by Cairngorms National Park Authority, Food Processing, Marketing and Co-operation Grant Scheme and Soil Association Scotland August 2010 Draft Page 3 Contents Executive summary ..........................................................................................4 1. Introduction to Cairngorms Food for Life Development Plan 1.1 Background to Cairngorms Food for Life Development Plan ...............................7 1.2 Why the Food for Life Development Plan is needed...........................................8 1.3 Defining local food...................................................................................... 11 1.4 Why local matters ...................................................................................... 12 1.5 The contribution of Food for Life in Scotland ................................................. 13 1.6 Research and development process .............................................................. 15 2. Setting the scene for delivery 2.1 The national policy context .......................................................................... 17 2.2 National organisations involved in food and drink ........................................... 19 2.3 Local policy and delivery context .................................................................. 23 3. Moving forward: development and action 3.1 Developing Market Intelligence: understanding the local food sector................. 31 3.2 Improving distribution of local produce ......................................................... 33 3.3 Improving supply and availability of local produce.......................................... 35 3.4 Increasing procurement of local produce ....................................................... 37 3.5 Increasing demand for local produce ............................................................ 39 3.6 Developing food tourism ............................................................................. 41 3.7 Building skills and improving collaboration .................................................... 43 3.8 Engaging schools and communities .............................................................. 45 3.9 Summary of outputs................................................................................... 48 4. Delivery of the PlanÕs actions and outcomes 4.1 Structures to support the PlanÕs implementation ............................................ 49 4.2 Implementing the Plan................................................................................ 52 4.3 Funding the Plan ........................................................................................ 54 4.4 Resourcing the Plan.................................................................................... 55 Appendices: Appendix 1: Food for Life Catering Mark Appendix 2: Contributors to the Food for Life Development Plan Appendix 3: Potential funding sources Draft Page 4 Executive summary This Cairngorms Food for Life Development Plan is a strategic regional food and drink plan for Cairngorms National Park. The Plan and its research and development were undertaken in partnership with Soil Association Scotland. The Plan aims to: ¥ Increase food production across the Park through strengthening and developing the viability of primary food producers and food processors; ¥ Increase consumption of locally produced food through developing supply chains and markets for local produce; ¥ Reduce food miles and thus contribute to a low carbon National Park; ¥ Strengthen and develop the viability of the tourism industry across the Park; ¥ Develop stronger links between the food and drink, tourism, retail and land management sectors, health agencies and communities (including education) through the medium of food and drink; ¥ Provide a model for a deliverable and forward thinking Sustainable Regional Food Strategy, which can be replicated across the UK. This Food for Life Development Plan is far reaching, but it is also focused. It presents solutions to the barriers inhibiting food production, processing and consumption across the Park, and encourages partnership approaches in response to this. It also has considerable relevance to a range of local and national policies. "The aim of Scotland's first National Food and Drink Policy is to promote Scotland's sustainable economic growth by ensuring that the Scottish Government's focus in relation to food and drink, and in particular our work with Scotland's food and drink industry, addresses quality, health and wellbeing, and environmental sustainability, recognising the need for access and affordability at the same time." Source: Richard Lochhead, Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and Environment, June 2008 The food and drink sector is of key importance to the Cairngorms National Park. At an economic level, the sector within the Park accounts for gross value added (GVA) of £59m, out of a total GVA of £400m, and employs the full-time equivalent of around 700 people Ð 15% of the ParkÕs workforce. The economy of the Park is dominated by tourism. It is estimated that at least 1.4m people visited the Park in 2007 Ð 1.1m to Badenoch and Strathspey alone. This is tourism which is heavily dependent on the unique environment of the Park. The potential for food and drink to contribute to this has been recognized, but to date not fully maximised. Agriculture is also important to the Park. It plays a key role in the management of the land and the unique environment of the Park. There are approximately 570 farm holdings and 105 crofts covering over 70% of the ParkÕs land mass. Food production is an important output and is dominated by livestock such as venison, lamb and beef. But there are significant gaps in all other produce areas. Whilst climate, soil and terrain all contribute to this gap, there are potential areas for development. Draft Page 5 More importantly, food is central to the lives of all working, living and visiting the Park. Interest in food and where it comes from has changed enormously over the last five years with a growing emphasis on local, provenance and quality. Visitors especially appreciate local produce Ð 85% said that they wanted to purchase local products according to the Park visitor survey conducted in 2003.1 It has long been an ambition of Cairngorms National Park Authority (CNPA) to take a more coordinated approach to food and drink in the Park to enable delivery of a strong local and regional economy which works in synergy with the special environment of the Park. CNPA is also interested in how this contributes to a resilient and healthy community. Delivering across all these areas in a consistent way enables sustained and long term change, but it is not without its challenges. Soil Association Scotland and its Food for Life approach has recognised this potential and has already made excellent progress in Highland region. Key features of Food for LifeÕs relevance to food and drink in the Park are that it: ¥ Is embedded in a partnership model for delivery; ¥ Ensures strong links with the governmentÕs National Food Policy; ¥ Supports work to develop supply chains; ¥ Fits perfectly with the ParkÕs function to ensure a collective and coordinated approach to achieve the four aims of the Park Ð conservation, resource use, access, sustainable economy and communities. Areas bounding on the Park were included within the research and the engagement process and will be important to the delivery of the outcomes here. This recognises that the concept of local or regional food will have different meanings depending on where in the Park a business or household is based. It also recognises the importance of the areas bordering on the Park in providing quality food produce for a sustainable local diet. There are well established initiatives within the Park that are concerned with food and drink and the role it plays in supporting the local economy and communities. The research and development process included active engagement with a range of these initiatives. However, none of these agencies has sole responsibility or focus on developing food and drink production, processing and consumption within and across the Cairngorms. All welcomed such a focus and appreciated its necessary role in developing a sustainable food economy which had local food production and consumption at its heart and which has distinct and measurable outcomes. This work has therefore identified seven specific outcomes (Figure 1) which not only deliver the aspirations and aims of this Food for Life Development Plan, but help deliver the strategic priorities of CNPA and the Scottish Government. 1 For the purpose of this report a visitor is defined as anyone who resides outside the Park Draft Picture of an osprey, see PDF Page 6 Figure 1: Outcomes of Cairngorms Food for Life Development Plan ¥ Increase in the amount of quality food and drink produced in the Park Ð more producers and processors producing quality food. ¥ Increase in the use of local food across the Park Ð more local producers supplying more businesses locally. ¥ Increase in the consumption of locally produced food in the Park Ð more residents and tourists consuming local food. ¥ Expansion of the ParkÕs local food economy Ð increase in the development of new businesses and increase in the productivity of existing businesses. ¥ Decrease in the ParkÕs food carbon footprint Ð reduction in food miles, resource consumption and food waste throughout the supply chain. ¥ Improvement in the health of the ParkÕs residents Ð more people adopting healthy and sustainable diets. ¥ Increase in the strength and resilience of the ParkÕs communities Ð more people participating in community activities and initiatives. River South Esk Osprey, symbol of Cairngorms National Park Draft Page 7 1. Introduction to Cairngorms Food for Life Development Plan 1.1 Background This Food for Life Development Plan is building on existing work on developing food and drink. In 2009, the Cairngorms National Park Authority (CNPA) developed a Local Food and Drink Action Plan which looked at: ¥ Establishing the supply capacity for local produce; ¥ Raising awareness of local food and drink across the Park; ¥ Supporting and encouraging new initiatives around food and drink. The Local Food and Drink Action Plan was a strong starting point in addressing how to boost the demand for, and supply of, local produce in the Park and to consider how to develop this as part of the Cairngorms National Park Brand. The plan was based on previous scoping work undertaken in 2009/10. The plan does give some insights into longer term actions, but does not identify the resource implications nor indicate how to develop a more far reaching Plan. ÒThe lack of a single Park-wide or regional group to provide a focus for food and drink related work does create a challenge for the delivery of initiativesÉAlso there is significant advantage to be gained from the co- ordination and synchronisation of activity. This can offer greater overall return and benefit; it can provide opportunity for some sharing of resources and it can provide the stimulus and opportunity for wider engagement and more ambitious action.Ó Local Food and Drink Action Plan for the Cairngorms National Park, CNPA, June 2009 In order to develop this Action Plan into a more delivery-focussed plan and build a sustainable and more comprehensive approach to establishing a vibrant food economy, CNPA has been working with Soil Association Scotland on producing this Food for Life Development Plan. Soil Association Scotland was approached to assist with this work due to their interest in supporting the production and consumption of locally produced food. This is encapsulated within a Food for Life approach which has been developed by the Soil Association and works in different ways across the UK. This Food for Life Development Plan has been produced not only in partnership with Soil Association Scotland, but through a process of engagement with a range of agencies and individuals involved in food and drink across the Park. Delivery of this Plan will be dependent on a partnership approach with many of these agencies. Areas bounding on the Park were included within the research and engagement process in recognition that the concept of local or regional food will have different meanings depending on where within the Park a business or household is based. Research and development of this Plan also highlights that there is already much work underway to stimulate the marketing of and consumption of local food. Draft Page 8 1.2 Why the Food for Life Development Plan is needed Food and drink is of key importance to the Cairngorms National Park. At an economic level, the food and drink sector within the Park accounts for GVA of £59m and employs the fulltime equivalent of around 700 people Ð 15% of the ParkÕs workforce.2 The economy of the Park is dominated by tourism. It is estimated that at least 1.4m people visited the Park in 2007 Ð 1.1m to Badenoch and Strathspey alone. This is tourism which is dependent on the ParkÕs environment and what it can uniquely offer. Tourism related businesses account for about 80% of the economy including activities such as skiing, walking, fishing, shooting and stalking. Food and drink sourced from this environment is of key importance to this industry. In 2009/10, 42% (£11.14) of the mean visitor spend per day was on food and drink (excluding spend on accommodation).3 The total expenditure on food and drink was estimated at £26.77m in 2008.4 Agriculture is important to the management of the land and the unique environment which the Park manages. There are approximately 570 farm holdings and 105 crofts covering over 70% of the ParkÕs land mass. Image of Irish Marshes, see PDF Food production potential in the Park is limited by the soils, climate and terrain, and is dominated by livestock. The small area in crop cultivation Ð mainly in the straths Ð is heavily biased towards the production of spring barley for malting purposes, with the vast majority of the remainder given over to fodder crops. The most dominant farm enterprise in the Park is a mix of beef cows (approx. total 28,000) and breeding ewes (approx. total 180,000). In summary, it is estimated that there are: ¥ 315 food and drink producers: farmers, crofters, smallholders and growers; ¥ 44 food and drink processors: butchers, bakers, distillers; ¥ 31 food and drink retailers: small shops and supermarkets; ¥ 300 food and drink providers: restaurants, cafes, hotels and visitor attractions.5 2 Economic and Social Health of the Park, 2010 3 Cairngorms National Park Visitor Survey 2009/10. 4 2008 Steam Report 5 Survey of Food and Drink Survey in the Cairngorms, 2010 Insh Marshes frorm Ruthven Farm Draft Page 9 However, the Cairngorms National Park is also a place where people live. The Park is home to 17,200 people living in substantial towns, villages, hamlets, and houses in the countryside. The resident population is demonstrating an increased interest in consuming locally produced food and in growing their own food. It would be simple to concentrate this plan purely on economic or agricultural development, but in doing so the needs and aspirations of the local population could be over looked. This Plan therefore looks at how to not only increase demand for local food across the resident population, but also looks at how to increase awareness and understanding about food and consuming a sustainable diet. This Food for Life Development Plan aims to: ¥ Strengthen and develop the viability of primary food producers across the Park; ¥ Strengthen and develop the viability of the tourism industry across the Park; ¥ Develop supply chains and markets for local produce; ¥ Develop stronger links between the food and drink, tourism, retail and land management sectors, health agencies and communities (including education) through the medium of food and drink; ¥ Provide a model for a deliverable and forward thinking Sustainable Regional Food Strategy which can be replicated across the UK. Whilst we recognise that there is a strong foundation on which to base this work there is much room for growth and development. Basic information gathered by CNPA in a recent survey indicates that there are major gaps in food and drink production within the Cairngorms National Park (Figure 2). It also shows that there are significant opportunities to increase the production and consumption of local food and drink within the Park. Figure 2: Key findings from survey of food and drink in the Cairngorms ¥ There is very limited poultry production in the Park. ¥ There is limited production of pork, potatoes, vegetables and fruit in the Park. ¥ Lack of demand is viewed as a barrier by producers, yet lack of availability of local produce is viewed as a barrier by processors and food providers. ¥ 75% of producers are interested in supplying more local produce. ¥ Retailers in the Park are interested in stocking more local produce. ¥ 95% of food providers in the Park are keen to use more local produce. ¥ 90% of producers are engaged in producing meat. ¥ Lamb is the largest single type of produce produced. Survey of Food and Drink Survey in the Cairngorms, CNPA, 2010 Whilst there is significant scope to increase food and drink production and consumption within the Park, previous work carried out by CNPA has identified the following barriers to growing the sector: ¥ Tourists and visitors are not fully connected to food and drink produced in the Park; Draft Page 10 ¥ Tourism businesses are not fully connected to local produce and the value it can add; ¥ There is limited production of food within the Park; ¥ There is limited finishing of produce in the Park (due to climatic restrictions and limited processing facilities); ¥ There is often a lack of a critical mass market in close proximity to where food is being produced; ¥ There are limited resources to drive forward programmes to stimulate change and improvement; ¥ There is no Park-wide group focussed on food and drink. This Plan will tackle some of these barriers. It will result in a Park-wide group with a focus on food and drink, and will seek to allocate resources to drive forward change and improvement. Outcomes of Cairngorms Food for Life Development Plan ¥ Increase in the amount of quality food and drink produced in the Park Ð more producers and processors producing quality food. ¥ Increase in the use of local food across the Park Ð more local producers supplying more businesses locally. ¥ Increase in the consumption of locally produced food in the Park Ð more residents and tourists consuming local food. ¥ Expansion of the ParkÕs local food economy Ð increase in the development of new businesses and increase in the productivity of existing businesses. ¥ Decrease in the ParkÕs food carbon footprint Ð reduction in food miles, resource consumption and food waste throughout the supply chain. ¥ Improvement in the health of the ParkÕs residents Ð more people adopting healthy and sustainable diets. ¥ Increase in the strength and resilience of the ParkÕs communities Ð more people participating in community activities and initiatives. The eight actions which will deliver these seven outcomes are detailed in Section 3 of this Plan. Progress towards meeting these outcomes will be measured using milestones based on the PlanÕs outputs (Section 3.9). In producing this Plan, it was also important to reflect on national and local policy which is driving food and drink developments across Scotland and within and around the National Park. These are considered further in Section 2. Draft Page 11 1.3 Defining local food There is no one definition of local in relation to food which is universally accepted. The National Farmers' Retail and Markets Association defines local as the radius from the market, 30 miles being ideal and 50 miles for larger cities and coastal towns or remote villages. The Cairngorms National Park covers a large area and each community within it will have its own definition of local. This definition may include areas outside the Park boundary. Indeed, the areas surrounding the Park have much to offer in relation to sourcing local food. As such, the Food for Life Development Plan is taking a pragmatic approach to defining the radius of where food should originate to be defined as local. What is important is that the food does not have significant food miles attached to it and that the quality and provenance of the product are high. A 50 mile radius is helpful in defining this, but quality is also important. DEFRA and the Scottish Agricultural College define regional and local food as follows: ¥ Regional food is food produced within a particular geographical area (whether administrative region, county, town or other appellation), and is marketed as coming from that area. Regional food is perceived to have a distinctive quality because of the area in, or the method by which, it is produced. ¥ Local food is food that is both produced and sold within a limited geographical radius, but which may not necessarily have any distinctive quality. However, it may be important for its connection with the local area and the local business producing it. Both are important for this Development Plan. Local food as defined above will have reduced food miles, will be supporting the local economy and will be enabling local people to have a connection with the food they are eating. The concept of a regional product is also important. The Park has a distinct brand identity, and wishes to utilise and develop it through promoting local food production. The approach taken in this Development Plan is also one which transcends local, and is regional in approach and strategy. Image of Loch an Eilean, see PDF Page 12 1.4 Why local matters ¥ Diversification into quality food products with a regional or local origin enables farmers to add value and increase profitability. ¥ Local food producers contribute to the local economy through direct employment and selling through local suppliers. The New Economics Foundation found that every £10 spent on food from local businesses generates an additional £25 for the local economy, compared with £14 for every £10 spent in non-local food businesses. ¥ Local food branding helps increase consumersÕ awareness of and interest in the origin of food, helping to improve their links with and understanding of the rural economy and food production issues. ¥ Regional and local food provides an important added value outlet for the products of traditional farming systems which conserve landscapes and biodiversity. Defining a sustainable local food economy This can be viewed as a food system based on sustainable models of production, i.e. where the growing, production and processing of food, its sale and its consumption are wholly or largely contained and controlled within the area of its origin. This then delivers multiple health, economic, environmental and social benefits within that area. Figure 3: Illustrative model of a sustainable food economy, See PDF Page 13 1.5 Contribution of Food for Life Scotland Food for Life was launched by the Soil Association throughout the UK in October 2003 as a campaign to improve the quality of school meals by introducing targets to deliver more sustainable, nutritionally balanced menus which are 75% unprocessed, 50% locally sourced and 30% organic. This change in menu is accompanied by food education in schools, involving the catering staff. In Scotland, progress had already been made since 2002 through the introduction of Hungry for Success, which uses the Caroline Walker Trust guidelines as the basis for the provision of nutrition advice for school meals. School action groups including teachers, pupils, parents and catering staff, are encouraged to get involved with food education through the joint working of schools with the NHS led Health Promoting Schools Unit. The current Food for Life campaign works with caterers across a number of sectors, including local authority and private school meal providers, hospitals, nurseries, sports stadia, workplace canteens and restaurants. Much of the work to date has been with local authority catering services, supporting them to improve the quality of Scotland's school meals. Food for Life is now widely recognised as leading the way on the provision of fresh, local and organic food in Scotland's schools. The Food for Life Catering Mark Ð launched in 2009 Ð was developed as a quality mark to enable caterers to demonstrate that that their menus use fresh, seasonal, local and organic ingredients, and high welfare meat and sustainable fish (Appendix 1). To date, five catering services in Scotland, including Highland Council Catering Service, have achieved the Catering Mark. The Food for Life Catering Mark was developed to support the Food for Life campaign, through a series of consultations with caterers, nutritionists, producers, suppliers and other certifying bodies such as the Marine Stewardship Council. The Catering Mark reflects current awareness around food issues, including a growing consumer demand for food that is climate-friendly, nutritious, and produced as locally as possible, to high standards of animal welfare. Whilst these values are reflected in consumer choices in the retail sector, the demand for, and indeed the availability of, produce at the same standards on the public plate lags behind. ÒThe national outdoor training centre at Glenmore Lodge is well positioned at the centre of the Cairngorms National Park to make best use of Scotland's "green gymnasium", to provide training courses for potential instructors, coaches ands leaders. It is important that the high quality instruction available at the centre is underpinned by a set of values that acknowledge the importance and fragility of our outdoor environment. Working towards "Food for life" accreditation provides an excellent opportunity to reinforce these values within the catering offering at the centre.Ó Bob Kinnaird, Principal, Glenmore Lodge, July 2010 The Catering Mark offers a route to meeting the aspirations outlined in the complex agenda set by the food policy Leadership Forum. At the same time, it offers an accreditation scheme that allows caterers to verify their progress. Draft Page 14 The three tiers of Bronze, Silver and Gold allow caterers to make step-wise progress towards greater use of fresh, seasonal, local and organic ingredients, sustainable fish and high welfare meat and dairy produce. In summary, the criteria set by the catering mark recognise the core aspirations of the Food for Life campaign. They provide a practical tool around which progress and impact can be measured. ¥ Bronze level: 75% freshly prepared, seasonal menus introduced, with basic UK animal welfare standards. ¥ Silver level: locally sourced, organic and fair trade items introduced to menus, with higher standards for animal welfare and sustainable fish. ¥ Gold level: three key targets of 75% freshly prepared, 50% locally sourced and 30% organic achieved. Food for Life standards therefore recognise that making changes to diet and the elements which compose a more sustainable food system underpinning this, cannot be achieved immediately Ð it takes a stepped approach over a period of time. It also presents targets which can be set in place to measure achievement of outcomes. Since 2003, Soil Association Scotland has had an ambition to develop Food for Life Scotland, which would go beyond the school based model developed by the Food for Life Partnership in England and the Supply Chain work currently in place in Scotland. Food for Life Scotland would enable rural and urban communities to develop, manage and sustain high quality food action plans, networks and supply chains which are economically and environmentally sustainable and which bring long term benefits. In essence, Food for Life supports the development of regional and local models of sustainable food production, processing and consumption, underpinned by greater understanding around where our food comes from, and how it can influence our health, the environment and the economy, and at the same time build social capital. ÒWe would argue that the whole ethos of consumerism with its emphasis on a narrow interpretation of a financial bottom line is potentially damaging to health, community and the environment. Therefore, we propose that the move from the ethos if consumerism to that of what might be called Ôthe food citizenÕ Ð the concerned individual who is aware of the challenges of health and sustainability and is an active participant in the whole process of production, distribution and consumption.Ó Leadership Forum Report: Development of the National Food and Drink Policy, 2009 Draft Page 15 1.6 Research and development process The research and development process for this Plan was delivered jointly by CNPA and Soil Association Scotland. It was designed to: ¥ Reflect current actions and activities relating to food and drink across the Park; ¥ Obtain insights and ideas around the barriers to increasing food and drink production and consumption; ¥ Identify what needs to be included in a Food for Life Development Plan for the Park; ¥ Gain support for the delivery of the Development Plan. It was important that the process of research and development be one that was inclusive, and involve a range of national and local agencies which are working across the Park to increase food production and consumption. It was also important to recognise the range of existing initiatives active within and around the Park, which exist to stimulate the potential of and use of local food. As such, the following methods were used to gather information, insights and ideas. Desk research Strategy documents reviewed as part of this research are detailed in Section 2. These include: ¥ National and local policy and strategy documents in relation to food and drink; ¥ Current initiatives taking forward food and drink across the Park and surrounding area; ¥ Public procurement strategies and approaches across relevant local authorities; ¥ Current CNPA strategy and past food plans. Food and drink survey The Survey of Food and Drink in the Cairngorms was carried out by CNPA in 2010 to gather baseline information about what is currently grown, bred and produced in the Park and what local produce is used by those providing all aspects of catering. The survey also sought to identify potential demand for local produce and barriers to the availability of local produce. One-to-one interviews Interviews were held with a wide range of contributors and those that came forward gave their time and insight generously. Since many were also actively involved in driving forward food policies or strategies, they were also generous in sharing these. The interview process gave key insights into the range of issues facing food production and consumption across the Park, and also began to scope out some solid areas which a Development Plan would require to tackle. Each conversation used the following core questions: ¥ What key areas of work are underway which already deliver some of the aims of the Plan and perhaps already centre on tackling challenges? ¥ Are the aims and proposed outcomes of the Plan appropriate? Draft Page 16 ¥ From the perspective of the interviewee, what barriers exist in driving forward an integrated approach to Food and Drink? ¥ What practical measures could an imminent Plan drive forward to reduce barriers and work towards the above aspirations or outcomes? Engagement event The engagement event, held on 23 April 2010 at Glenmore Lodge, was designed as a Ôplanning dayÕ. The event utilised the insights from the interviews and desk research, which had generated the key issues that required addressing. The event was well attended by a wide range of stakeholders (Appendix 2). Those attending the planning day were asked to contribute their ideas and suggestions around taking forward: ¥ Increasing the production and processing of food and drink in the Park; ¥ Improving the distribution of food and drink across the Park; ¥ Improving the consumption of local food by the resident population and visitors. The report from this event has been published and can be viewed on the Cairngorms National Park website. It was distributed to all who attended. Contributions from this event have particularly helped to shape the actions contained in this Development Plan. Image of Blair Castle, Atholl Estates, see PDF Draft Page 17 2. Setting the scene for delivery 2.1 The national policy context In 2009, Scotland produced its first national food and drink policy, Recipe for Success.6 This was produced following an extensive consultation across all stakeholders involved in food drink and accordingly encompasses a holistic approach. This presented the need to grow and embed food production as an economic activity, which enables Scotland to contribute to food security alongside the growing concerns around diet and health. "The aim of Scotland's first National Food and Drink Policy is to promote Scotland's sustainable economic growth by ensuring that the Scottish Government's focus in relation to food and drink, and in particular our work with Scotland's food and drink industry, addresses quality, health and wellbeing, and environmental sustainability, recognising the need for access and affordability at the same time." Richard Lochhead, Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and Environment, 19 June 2008 The strong recognition of the need to ensure equality of access to healthy food and tackle poor diet within this plan is commendable and perhaps not a surprise. Following the introduction of the Scottish Diet Action Plan in 1996, Scotland has led the way in the UK in setting a public health agenda to combat growing levels of diet-related ill-health. In 2008, the Scottish Government launched Healthy Eating, Active Living: An action plan to improve diet, increase physical activity and tackle obesity (2008Ð2011).7 This outlines specific actions the NHS and other key statutory agencies will take over the next three years to support people to make healthier choices in what they eat, to build more physical activity into their everyday lives and to maintain or achieve a healthy weight. This action plan estimates that the cost to the NHS in Scotland of obesity in 2003 was £171m. Obesity is a complex problem. The Foresight Report by the UK Government Office for Science, Tackling Obesities (2007), provided evidence that the causes and determinants of obesity are broad ranging and involve complex interactions of cultural, social, environmental and lifestyle factors. Within Healthy Eating Active Living, the Scottish Government clearly recognised the role of Food Policy in tackling diet and healthy living. They particularly recognise the role the Food Policy plays in bringing together diverse stakeholders, sectors and disciplines to shape the environment either to promote or to tackle unhealthy weight. The vision presented in Healthy Eating, Active Living is that Recipe for Success provides Scotland with an opportunity to reshape and influence the environment in which food is produced, processed and eventually finds its way on to our plates. It also boldly asserts that a national Food and Drink Policy provides an early opportunity to demonstrate how Government can work across traditional boundaries to effect change. 6 www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2009/06/25133322/0 7 www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2008/06/20155902/0 Draft Page 18 Implementation of Recipe for Success is being driven forward through the establishment of a Leadership Forum. This Forum is supported by five work streams which are investigating the issues that are the top priorities identified in the national policy, namely: ¥ Sustainable economic growth for the food and drink industry; ¥ Healthy and sustainable food and drink choices; ¥ Celebrating and safeguarding ScotlandÕs reputation as a Land of Food and Drink; ¥ Walking the Talk Ð getting public sector procurement right; ¥ Food security, access and affordability. ÒFrameworks for healthy, environmentally sustainable consumption and production of food and drink should be developed to support ScotlandÕs economic growth and disease reduction goalsÉ. The frameworks should: ¥ Support the achievement of both the food and nutritional aspects of the Scottish dietary goals and review these goals at regular intervals. ¥ Include specific targets/goals for a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions across the whole food supply chain and for reduced ecological impact for the Scottish food system. ¥ Recognise the Ôwhole lifeÕ cost of food in the food supply chain. ¥ Incorporate a system to benchmark and measure change within the social, environmental and economic elements of sustainability.Ó Leadership Forum Report: Development of the National Food and Drink Policy, 2009 Yet, despite all of the above recognition of a joined up, cross sectoral approach to food and drink, there is no existing local or regional food plan in situ in Scotland dedicated to increasing the consumption of locally produced food, which is low in food miles, supports economic development and is nutritionally superior. This Plan, with clear actions and targets for the Park, will be leading the way in delivering the far reaching aspirations of national food and drink policy, at the same time as tackling the key issues of increasing productivity, reducing food miles and promoting healthy and sustainable life styles. Image of Cairngorms Plateau, see PDF Draft Page 19 2.2 National organisations involved in food and drink Scotland Food and Drink Scotland Food and Drink was established in 2007 to provide leadership for the food and drink industry. It is supported by the Scottish Government and has been tasked with growing the value of Scotland's food and drink sector, making it more profitable and delivering greater global success in a challenging and competitive market. The vision of Scotland Food and Drink is to build Scotland's international reputation as 'A Land of Food and Drink'. Aligned to this, is the mission is to grow the industry from £10 billion to £12.5 billion by 2017. As an organisation, Scotland Food and Drink aims to provide leadership and strategic thinking, analyse trends and work with the industry towards making our supply chain stronger and our distribution networks more effective. In doing so, it aims to take forward the Scottish GovernmentÕs National Food Strategy. The strategic direction of Scotland Food and Drink is summarised in their revised strategy document Fresh Thinking which was published in December 2009.8 This has ten key tasks: ¥ Create more brands, especially premium brands; ¥ Sell more of a wider range of food products overseas; ¥ Add more value to our primary products; ¥ Make more of our Scottish credentials; ¥ Encourage people to collaborate more, especially in the supply chain; ¥ Invest more in the skills we need; ¥ Promote our industry as a good place to work; ¥ Develop the new products consumers want and turn more of our research into commercial opportunities; ¥ Build more, bigger, globally successful businesses with collaboration as the keystone; ¥ Ensure that more businesses throughout the whole industry become economically and environmentally sustainable. These tasks are being delivered through four workstreams Ð Reputation, Innovation, Collaboration and Skills Ð each with their own cross sectoral working groups. Some of the tasks and the outcomes of the working groups are directly relevant to this Plan e.g. encouraging collaboration, adding value, developing new products and ensuring economic and environmental sustainability. CNPA and those involved with delivering this Plan should remain connected with Scotland Food and Drink. Potential areas include formulating links with Scotland Food and DrinkÕs support for the National Food Forum and work with the Collaboration working group.9 8 www.scotlandfoodanddrink.org/Asset.aspx?item_id=61693&name=Industry Strategy Refresh Doc.pdf 9 www.scotlandfoodanddrink.org/15820 Draft Page 20 Visit Scotland Visit Scotland has a strategic interest in marketing Scotland as a land of food and drink. As part of this interest and in a commitment to ensuring a quality experience, they have launched EatScotland Ð a quality assurance Ôwhere to eatÕ scheme. It is supported by a website which promotes Scottish food and drink to all with an interest in food Ð visitors and local population.10 EatScotland has two main objectives. Firstly, it helps residents and visitors to Scotland find great places to eat, not just the well established places but also the many unsung and sometimes relatively undiscovered places within Scotland that are providing good food, but who may not have managed to get into the glossy printed guides. The second aim is to raise the profile of Scottish food as an important part of tourism, giving credit to those who are achieving high standards and encouraging others to aspire to that standard. Once accepted into the scheme, the participant receives a Scheme window sticker plus certificate. A Scheme logo is also provided for use in promotional activity. All approved participants are featured on the EatScotland website. Visit Scotland also provides a range of business support services to the tourism industry. Due to the emphasis on tourism across the Park, Visit Scotland is an important stakeholder for delivery of some aspects of this Food for Life Development Plan. Possible areas of synergy would be their interest in marketing, food tourism and sustainable tourism. With the latter, they actively promote the Green Business Tourism Scheme which many businesses in the Park utilise e.g. Glenmore Lodge.11 Scottish Enterprise Scottish Enterprise has an interest at a strategic level in food and drink through supporting Scotland Food and Drink. It also part-resources the Food Tourism website, in collaboration with Visit Scotland and Highlands and Islands Enterprise.12 This website encourages the use of local produce across tourist agencies and showcases some of the best visitor food experiences. Scottish Enterprise supports local food developments through their regional offices and Business Gateway programmes, which support local business development. Scottish Enterprise Grampian also supports the delivery of related initiatives such as the Grampian Food Forum (Section 2.2.) and Royal Deeside Food Tourism Project. In autumn 2009, Scottish Enterprise announced significant funding for the delivery of key tourism improvements across the Royal Deeside and the Cairngorms. This was given to help position the area as a world class destination that competes with high quality mountain valley locations around the world. This funding was awarded as part of a package of wider support for tourism developments involving Aberdeenshire Council, Cairngorms National Park Authority, Scottish Natural Heritage and Visit Scotland. 10 eatscotland.visitscotland.com/default.html 11 www.visitscotland.org/business_support/quality_assurance/going_green.aspx 12 www.foodtourismscotland.com/ Draft Page 21 Society Agricultural Organisations Scotland (SAOS) SAOS is a member led organisation whose purpose is to help ScotlandÕs farming, food and drink industries become more profitable and competitive through innovative co-operation and collaboration.13 SAOS was a founder member of Scotland Food and Drink and remain actively involved, not only at Board level, but also in driving forward the collaboration work stream of Scotland Food and Drink. SAOS is running a Cultivating Collaboration project funded by the Scottish Government.14 This project is specifically designed to stimulate, encourage and support greater collaboration within Scottish food and drink supply chains, to improve profitability, market responsiveness, efficiency and sustainability. Through this work, SAOS has been supporting local producers through hosting and supporting collaborative approaches. They also run workshops and events. SAOS has been consulted as part of the research process of this Plan and will be invited to assist with implementation where appropriate. Scottish FarmersÕ Markets Partnership The Scottish FarmersÕ Markets Partnership has been established to promote, support and build capacity for farmers markets in Scotland on a sustainable basis.15 The project will be managed on a day-to-day basis by the Partnership Management Group (PMG) consisting of Scottish Association of Farmers Markets, SAOS, Scottish Agricultural College, Scottish Food Quality Certification, National Farmers Union Scotland and National FarmersÕ Retail and Markets Association, all of whom are making significant contributions from their own resources. The Soil Association Scotland is on the Industry Steering Group which is overseeing the project. 13 www.saos.co.uk/collaborative.html 14 www.ctwo.org.uk/ 15 www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2010/03/03110403 Image of a Cairngorms Farmers Market, Gantown-on-Spey, see PDF Draft Page 22 The partnership aims to provide relevant practical support for farmers markets to enable them to flourish and develop. Examples of the kinds of support are likely to include: ¥ Advice for market producers and organisers in relation to market establishment and further development of the market format; ¥ Provision of information to producers and markets about trade body membership, market accreditation scheme options, training and additional sector support; ¥ Advice on promotional, marketing and other material; ¥ Access to communication media including newsletters, website, email circulations and business networking interfaces; ¥ Provision of learning events such as producer workshops/seminars, conferences etc; ¥ Advice on funding sources. Work has only just got underway within the project, but links will be developed between it and those who will be taking forward this Plan. Provenance on a Plate In March 2010, the Scottish Government launched Provenance on a Plate, an information resource and toolkit for caterers.16 As direct providers of food and drink to local and international consumers and visitors, the potential for food service providers to deliver change is significant. The toolkit aims to clarify legal requirements and best practice guidelines for food and drink origin declarations on menus, to help caterers provide clear, accurate and consistent information to consumers when eating out. This will encourage them to make informed choices about what they eat. The advice and information, as well as the toolkit, are accessible via the Provenance on a Plate website. At the time of writing, there are no further actions scheduled to support Provenance on a Plate. It is a useful resource to guide local caterers, and further emphasises the GovernmentÕs commitment to Scottish produce. 16 www.provenanceonaplate.co.uk/home Image of Hay bales in the Park, see PDF Draft Page 23 2.3 Local policy and delivery context The research process highlighted that food and drink is increasing in relevance for a range of agencies. Since the advent of the national food policy, local authorities have been developing their own policy and action statements. Some of the more pertinent ones are highlighted in this section. In addition, there are a number of existing relevant initiatives active in driving different aspects of food across different areas of the Park. Some of the most relevant are presented in this section as a context for the Plan. It is important to reflect the starting position of this Plan and the relevance of work carried out to date. It is also important to ensure that the actions being proposed in this Plan do not duplicate existing activity, but work in synergy and partnership. As such, the proposals for action in Section 3 will link in with the work summarised in this section. The policies and initiatives summarised here are not exhaustive, but provide an insight into current active initiatives. It may appear on reading to be a Ôcrowded market placeÕ. This was explored in the research process, and it was clear that there was still room for a dedicated plan of action for supporting the development of food businesses Ð agricultural, food processing, retail and tourism Ð across the Park since no one agency was able to support so regionally nor so specifically. Where there are sensitivities or possible areas of overlap e.g. in the area of destination marketing, this has been identified and reflected in the recommended actions in Section 3. Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) HIE currently provides specific business support to individual businesses to support them developing into national and international markets. This support is provided to any business and some food businesses from the Park area are currently being supported. HIE also supports Highlands and Islands Food Forum and will continue to have an involvement in partnership with Scotland Food and Drink. CNPA staff are in regular contact with HIE staff to ensure their work is coordinated. At the moment, it would appear that there is little overlap. Aberdeenshire Council Aberdeenshire Council does not have a direct strategy or action plan for Food and Drink, but do provide a range of practical support for the development of food and drink. This crosses different departmental areas, with key emphasis in economic development and agriculture. In 2006, the Council produced a full Economic Development Strategy for 2006-2011.17 The strategy contains a commitment to growing agricultural industries, growing the fishing industry and developing more sustainable supply chains. As part of sustainable economic growth, it is recognised that food miles need to be reduced, however, there is no direct commitment placed on this. 17 www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/support/publications/edpriorities2006-2011_000.pdf Draft Page 24 One way in which the Council does support local food is via a Rural Shop Support Scheme.18 The shops supported are more likely to be lifeline shops rather than artisan based food shops, but clearly there is a potential for shops to include locally sourced food as part of this. The Council recognised that food tourism was a growing area of interest. Their primary route to supporting any kind of food business is via the Grampian Food Forum, which they support alongside Scottish Enterprise and Scotland Food and Drink. They also showed an interest in retaining good links with an emergent Food for Life Development Plan and projects arising from it. Angus Council Ð Draft Local Food Plan This is not yet published, however, the Council was willing to share its thinking and contribute on an ongoing basis to the development of the Food for Life Development Plan. The plan is being driven by their Economic Development Department, and is therefore centred on building a robust food economy as part of a wider vibrant and sustainable economy. In addition, the food plan, A Sustainable Strategy for Growth Through Tourism 2009 to 2012, includes food and drink as one of its six key themes. The Council takes the approach that the food and drink industry is vital to the countyÕs future economic prosperity, and has the potential for development by working in partnership. It is recommended that Angus produce is promoted in a coordinated manner, to raise awareness of the quality of produce, which is available through restaurants, local retailers and local farm shops. This calls for an integrated approach, where the Council will act as a facilitator to bring groups together to work for mutual benefit and assist in marketing the produce. Angus Council welcomed the advent of this Plan and are interested in forging further working links as they develop their policy and actions around supporting local food producers and food tourism. Highland Council Ð Local Food Action Plan In June 2009, the Land Environment and Sustainability Strategy Group approved the Highland Council Local Food Action Plan.19&20 The Plan was designed to complement the Scottish GovernmentÕs national food plan by supporting local produce, local products and local services. The local food action plan has three priority areas: ¥ Providing Leadership in Local Procurement; ¥ Supporting Local Food Groups; ¥ Enabling Creation of Allotments. In doing so, Highland Council is meeting the Single Outcome Agreement outcomes of Safeguarding the Environment and Sustaining Highland Communities, which embody explicit recognition of supporting local economies. 18 www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/support/finance/shop.asp 19 www.highland.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/ED098D54-7030-49FF-8AC8 D271F3464819/0/Item6les1909.pdf 20 www.highland.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/CB812789-81B5-42AE-B1DC-65F7B403BCE5/0/Item8les1310.pdf Draft Page 25 The commitment to local procurement and the considerable efforts of key staff in the Council has led to the procurement of a significant amount of local, fresh, healthy produce including red meat, vegetables and fruit, bakery goods and fish through a number of regional suppliers. The Council also deals directly with a number of small suppliers for specialist products, and has invested considerable resources to help them achieve the necessary standards. In recognition of this, the Council achieved a Food for Life Bronze Catering Mark from the Soil Association for the provision of all school meals in the Council area. This confirms that around 15,000 meals a day across the Highland Council area are using where possible local and seasonal products, and that 75% are freshly prepared. The Council has also worked alongside SAOS to compile a Public Procurement Guide for Small Companies.21 The Council has supported the Highland Food Group, a newly formed group of producers, in setting up a market outside Tesco Extra. This group is distinct from the Inverness Farmers Market. A key action for Highland Council for 2010 is to consider how to support a range of local markets Ð from community markets through to more structured farmersÕ markets. Discussions have taken place with the CouncilÕs licensing officers on the potential to simplify and reduce the costs of license applications for farmersÕ markets. This is an obvious area where the Food for Life Development Plan should retain active links in order to ensure joinedup support for local market development in the Park. The Council is also considering how to take forward a Sustainable Procurement Policy, which will continue to support current local procurement activity, and enable this to develop within the context of national procurement strategy and guidance. The Food for Life Development Plan and the actions detailed in Section 3 are of key relevance to the Highland Council Local Food Action Plan. The Food for Life Development Plan will further enable the CouncilÕs plan to realise its ambition as well as develop and embed the existing work of the Council. Links are already strong between Highland Council and CNPA and will be developed further to ensure the synergy of the work is maximised. Highland Council Ð Allotments Policy The policy was launched in December 2009 and is closely associated with the Local Food and Drink Action Plan since creating allotments is one of the key strategy areas.22 The policy also establishes the principles which will guide the partnership between the Council, community groups and other organisations in establishing and managing allotments in Highland. It also sets some clear aims including: ¥ Creating new allotments: at least three sites in the first year and a further five in the second year; ¥ Improving local environments; ¥ Promoting the social inclusion and health benefits of allotments and to capture impact using the WarwickÐ Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale; ¥ Ensuring allotments are well used and well managed by empowered community groups. 21 www.scotlandfoodanddrink.org/61767 22 www.highland.gov.uk/socialwork/healthimprovement/allotments/ Draft Page 26 Encouraging more opportunities for individuals, families and communities to Ògrow their ownÓ is a recommended action (Section 3.8). Links will therefore be retained with the Allotments Officer and the Health Improvement Team. Moray Council Moray Council does not have a specific action plan for food and drink, but does support the sector through the Grampian Food Forum and Small Business Gateway. The Council has identified food and drink as one of the key sectors, which will be supported through the new East of Scotland Investment Fund (Appendix 3). Perth & Kinross Council Although Perth & Kinross Council does not have a specific strategic action plan for food and drink, it does support food and drink in various ways including representation on the Board of Perth & Kinross Farmers Market and promoting local food and drink through its website and a consumersÕ guide. The council also supports the Love to Eat 2010 project led by Blairgowrie and East Perthshire Tourist Association (BEPTA), which is designed to promote the best of Perthshire food and to encourage businesses to use local produce on their menus. Grampian Food Forum The forum is a partnership comprising senior members of the food and drink industry in the North East of Scotland and the main development agencies in the area Ð namely Business Gateway, Scottish Enterpise, Aberdeenshire Council, Aberdeen City Council and Moray Council.23 The Forum advises public sector organisations on the needs of the food and drink industry so that programmes and projects can be put in place which are focused on the actual needs of the industry. However, more importantly the Forum provides an opportunity for companies from different sectors to learn from each other and to exchange ideas. The activities of the forum are varied, but focus on supporting food businesses to network, collaborate and grow. They include workshops, awareness visits, in-store promotions, dining clubs and skills workshops. The activities of the forum are open to representatives from all food and drink processing companies in the area. The forum has been involved with Grampian Chef of the Year since 2002, in which finalists are set the challenge of using local produce to create exciting and innovative dishes. The competition is organised in conjunction with Hospitality Training and the Federation of Chefs Scotland to promote the wealth of culinary talent in Grampian. One of the forumÕs key events is the Grampian Food Forum Innovation Awards, where local food and drink companies have the chance to present their newly developed products to a high profile panel of judges. 23 www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/support/food/GFFStrategy2005.pdf Draft Page 27 The work of the forum is of relevance to this Plan since it supports food businesses which supply the Park and also those within the Park (Deeside and surrounds) in developing their capacity. They have also developed a strong track record in supporting networking, collaboration and business growth and as such could be key in advising on future skills development across the Park. Highlands and Islands Food and Drink Forum This forum provides a similar role to the Grampian Food Forum. It is currently supported by an independent consultancy, but is moving to being housed within Highlands and Islands Enterprise and supported by Scotland Food and Drink. Established in 2003, it aims to increase the profile of the food and drink industry and provide a range of benefits to the sector, in particular: ¥ Providing meeting and networking opportunities for food producers, their customers, suppliers and service providers; ¥ Delivering a high quality programme of speakers, discussion and challenge on subjects of direct relevance; ¥ Ensuring that businesses are up to date with the services offered by Scotland Food and Drink and the other sources, to support their development. It delivers an annual Food and Drink Awards Scheme, and runs a programme of events to support businesses across the area. The Food Forum welcomed the thinking behind the Cairngorms Food for Life Development Plan and saw the local emphasis on business support as something which needs to complement the work of other agencies working on a Highlands and Islands basis. Royal Deeside and Cairngorms Direct Marketing Organisation Royal Deeside and Cairngorms is the official Destination Management Organisation (DMO) for tourism businesses in the areas of Royal Deeside, Donside and the Eastern Cairngorms.24 It exists to promote the area as a year-round destination and provide visitors with high quality experiences that will encourage them to return. The DMO has been created to: ¥ Grow tourism in Royal Deeside and the Cairngorms in ways that are economically, environmentally and socially sustainable to generate the greatest possible benefits to local communities and businesses; ¥ Ensure that visitors to the area have the best possible experiences to encourage return visits to the area and recommendations to friends and family; ¥ Enhance the quality and variety of visitor products and services within Royal Deeside and the Cairngorms; ¥ Provide effective training and development within Royal Deeside and the Cairngorms; ¥ Represent the views and priorities of local tourism businesses to external agencies. Royal Deeside and the Cairngorms DMO is a company limited by guarantee and is managed by a Board of Directors who have been recruited from local businesses. 24 www.discoverroyaldeeside.com/ Draft Page 28 The emphasis on local businesses supporting each other and working together to promote the area ensures that the development of the tourism industry reflects the needs of the area. Developing and maintaining close links with the Royal Deeside and Cairngorms DMO is important for this Plan. The DMO is currently developing a web presence and its brand for food tourism marketing. The DMO is also looking at increasing their web marketing and hosting more events to encourage increased interest in the area. Local food is an important element within this, from events through to dedicated food tourism. Cairngorms Business Partnership (CBP) This is a new organisation which aims to: ¥ Help create demand for products and services in the Cairngorms National Park; ¥ Enhance the customer experience and help build business capacity; ¥ Represent the interests of businesses within the Park. An interim board has been established to oversee the CBP 2010 operational plan. The interim board will also be charged with developing the longer term ambitions and constitution of the Partnership. The board comprises representatives from Cairngorms Chamber of Commerce, Aviemore and the Cairngorms DMO, Tomintoul & Glenlivet Highland Holidays, Cairngorms Hostels, Royal Deeside and the Cairngorms DMO, Cairngorms Farmers Market, Creative Cairngorms and Outdoor Angus Group. A new website www.visitcairngorms.com has been established, which aims to be one of the leading destination web portals in Scotland. The site is based around the customer experience and interest in the Park. The role of the site is to build awareness of the Park, its product offering, and to connect the customer instantly with the relevant businesses. It is crucial that any developments arising from this Plan link in with the Cairngorms Business Partnership, and that accordingly the partnership appreciate the role of the Plan in driving dedicated food business development. Cairngorms National Park Plan The Cairngorms National Park Plan brings together all those involved in the managing of the Park to set out a long-term vision; a framework for management and priorities for action. It sets out how all sectors in the Park can work together to achieve its aims and create a world class National Park. Food for Life is cited as a key means of achieving the following outcomes under the priority Making Tourism and Business More Sustainable: ¥ An increasing proportion of economic activity will be based on the special qualities; ¥ A greater percentage of businesses will meet the quality standards and environmental management criteria of the Park brand and achieve commercial advantage through its use; ¥ There will be an increase in use of local suppliers and produce. Draft Page 29 Low Carbon Cairngorms In July 2009, the Park Board agreed an ambition to move towards a Low Carbon National Park. This is a headline aspiration, which provides a focus for a number of current and potential workstreams, including Food for Life and the Green Farm Project. The objectives of the Green Farm Project are to: ¥ Raise awareness and encourage participation amongst the agricultural community on action on climate change; ¥ Provide support for farmers and land managers on how to reduce their carbon footprint; ¥ Reduce their waste and costs and identify opportunities for the increased use of 'green' products. Aligned to this project is Soil Association ScotlandÕs Climate Change Programme, which is delivering workshops in low carbon farming and climate change adaptation skills for farmers and other primary producers working in the Park. A reduction of the ParkÕs food and drink carbon footprint should be a central driver for all businesses in the supply chain, and there is clear need for this Food for Life Development Plan to support actions which encourage more businesses within the Park to become low carbon. CNPA Land Based Business Training (LBBT) Project LBBT aims to provide training and support for land based businesses across the Park. Skills training in food and drink related activity, for example horticulture, food processing and beekeeping feature strongly. The project is being refreshed for 2011 onwards but will include the opportunity for further food and drink training. Crofting Connections Crofting Connections is an educational project, run by Soil Association Scotland and the Scottish Crofting Federation, which is enabling young people aged 5 to 16 living in crofting communities to learn about crofting.25 There are four primary schools in the Park, which are participating in the project Ð Abernethy, Dalwhinnie, Deshar and Gergask. The projectÕs key objectives are to: ¥ Increase understanding of the connections between food, health and the environment; ¥ Support schools and communities to create local food-growing initiatives; ¥ Encourage communities to reduce their ecological and carbon footprints; ¥ Safeguard crofting heritage and traditions unique to local communities. Pupils learn practical crofting skills from local crofters, how to grow and harvest heritage crops, and cook traditional recipes. Participating schools also have gardens where children grow vegetables, fruit and salad for use in the school canteen. Crofting Connections is promoted by Learning Teaching Scotland as a model for the delivery of the new Curriculum for Excellence. 25 www.croftingconnections.com Draft Page 30 3. Moving forward: development and action This section details the areas for development required in order to meet the aims and outcomes defined in this Plan. Importantly, it details clear and tangible actions needed to effect change. The areas for development and action are: 1. Developing Market Intelligence: Understanding the local food sector 2. Improving distribution of local produce 3. Improving supply and availability of local produce 4. Increasing procurement of local produce 5. Increasing demand for local produce 6. Developing food tourism 7. Building skills and improving collaboration 8. Engaging schools and communities These areas for development emerged from the research process, with the actions flowing from the insights from interview participants and those attending the Planning Day. They also develop many of the areas previously identified in the CPNA Local Food and Drink Action Plan. Photo: David Gowans Spring ploughing in the Park, See PDF Draft Page 31 3.1 Developing Market Intelligence: understanding the local food sector Context The participants in the research were clear that there is a need to improve the industryÕs market knowledge of the availability of food and drink within the Park. As such, the starting point in this work needs to be ensuring we have strong market information Ð on all aspects of the food market Ð from production, through processing, to retail and consumption. There is therefore a need to build up a comprehensive register of food and drink within the Park to help inform the implementation of this Plan. At a practical level, those involved in supplying and retailing food (i.e. retailers, tourism and hospitality businesses) need to know who is able to supply what produce, and when and how it can be sourced. Producers also need to know who needs what products and how to engage with the widest market possible. Recommended actions Audit and register of food and drink A comprehensive audit of food and drink should be undertaken to create a detailed register of what is grown, bred and produced in the Park, and identify what local produce is being purchased by retailers in the Park. This will build on initial information gathered by CNPA in March 2010. The register should contain information for the Park and its environs including: ¥ Details of food and drink businesses Ð primary producers, processors and retailers; ¥ Amount and type of food and drink produced and processed; ¥ Amount and type of food supplied to which retailers; ¥ Business interest in development and diversification. The register will give vital detailed information which can help address supply chain issues regarding gaps in the market, as well as demand. Importantly, the register will also provide baseline information in order to monitor and evaluate the impact of the PlanÕs recommended actions. Directory of producers and processors A directory of producers and processors will be produced for retailers, restaurants and tourism businesses. The directory should: ¥ List producers and processors and the produce that they are able to supply (should include producers and processors within a 50 mile radius of the Park boundary); ¥ Provide information on the availability of produce including seasonality; ¥ Provide details of procedures for the purchase and delivery of produce; ¥ Be available in hard copy and online/electronic formats; ¥ Be regularly updated and widely promoted to businesses. Draft Page 32 The directory of producers and processors was identified as an immediate priority by those who participated in this research, and as such will be one of the first actions taken forward. It will be delivered before the audit is undertaken as it will be of immediate use for producers, processors and retailers. However, it will be produced in a format which can be readily updated and it is anticipated that it will be updated at least six times each year to ensure relevance. Outputs and outcomes Actions identified in this section will deliver the following Development Plan outputs and outcomes for the Cairngorms National Park. Outputs Outcomes ¥ Increase number of local producers supplying retailers in the Park ¥ Increase quantity of local food supplied to retailers in the Park ¥ Increase number of retailers selling local produce in the Park ¥ Increase sales of local produce in the Park ¥ Increase in the amount of quality food and drink produced in the Park ¥ Increase in the use of local food across the Park ¥ Increase in the consumption of locally produced food in the Park ¥ Expansion of the ParkÕs local food economy ¥ Decrease in the ParkÕs food carbon footprint Photo: David Gowans Tomintoul, see PDF Draft Page 33 3.2 Improving distribution of local produce Context The distribution of food and drink within the Park was identified by the research as being a major issue. It was cited as a key barrier by producers to the supply of food and drink produced within the Park, and also by retail businesses who wished to access local produce. For producers, especially small businesses, the cost and time involved in developing and managing their own distribution network is a major challenge, in particular supplying tourism businesses. There is some evidence that hotel chains are utilising centralised buying through large wholesale distributors. However, it is apparent that there is a need to establish a distribution network across smaller scale businesses e.g. restaurants, guest houses, local shops etc. There also appears to be structural issues allied to distribution including unreliable transport and a shortage of a critical mass of retail outlets. More needs to be understood regarding distribution, as there is anecdotal evidence of a range of small scale solutions already in place, which could perhaps be promoted better. Baseline information on existing distribution networks is required and further research undertaken to examine the feasibility and viability of potential solutions. This will include looking at community-based and commercial models of local distribution systems operating in other parts of Scotland with similar geographical and infrastructural challenges experienced by the Park. It should be emphasised that any solutions should be able to cover their costs and not be dependent on grant aid. Case study: Forteith Foodservice Forteith Foodservice is a privately owned family run firm, offering a range of frozen, chilled and ambient foodstuffs and refrigeration and distribution services to the catering and retail trade. It currently has a customer base of over 1,500. The firm, aided by a dedicated telesales team, delivery personnel and the latest technology, deals in a highly seasonal environment with a challenging road infrastructure. Unlike 'remote' national wholesalers, being local and fully appreciative of the geography and seasonality of the area, the company strives to ensure service all year round. In 1996, the company moved to its current premises, a purpose built 'state of the art' facility on the outskirts of Oban with a modern butchery cutting plant offering cuts under the brand 'Forteith of Oban'. www.forteith.co.uk Photo: Highlands & Islands Enterprise Draft Page 34 Recommended actions Distribution action plan Further consultation with stakeholders regarding distribution issues should be undertaken, potential solutions researched, and a plan produced of suggested recommendations for action. Examples include: ¥ Establishing dedicated distribution services through co-operative ventures e.g. a van link; ¥ Utilising existing distribution networks e.g. using otherwise empty return journeys by delivery vans operating in the Park and its environs; ¥ Supporting the redevelopment of empty retail outlets to promote and sell local food; ¥ Creating a dedicated sales team to help small producers to promote and sell their produce to retailers. Outputs and outcomes Actions identified in this section will deliver the following Development Plan outputs and outcomes for the Cairngorms National Park. Outputs Outcomes ¥ Increase number of local producers supplying retailers in the Park ¥ Increase quantity of local food supplied to retailers in the Park ¥ Increase number of retailers selling local produce in the Park ¥ Increase sales of local produce in the Park ¥ Increase in the amount of quality food and drink produced in the Park ¥ Increase in the use of local food across the Park ¥ Increase in the consumption of locally produced food in the Park ¥ Expansion of the ParkÕs local food economy ¥ Decrease in the ParkÕs food carbon footprint Case study: Skye & Lochalsh Food Link Van The Food Link Van is an essential service, which has allowed the local food economy to develop in a rural and peripheral location. It provides the link between producer and consumer by uplifting locally produced food, and delivering it to a foodservice business (retail or hospitality) which will then sell to its customers. Food producers are able to take orders that they have otherwise been unable to fulfill. Sales have increased, from £6,800 worth of local produce carried annually to over £90,000, thanks to being able to reach customers that are off the beaten track. One of the van's biggest customers is Shirley Spear of the renowned Three Chimneys Restaurant. "Now that we've got the Local Food Link van, I can rely on a brilliant range of the freshest local produce delivered right to our kitchen door. Skye and Lochalsh Food Link has made a real difference to our sourcing, saving us precious time, particularly at the height of the season." www.tastelocal.co.uk/skye/outlets/index.html Draft Page 35 3.3 Improving supply and availability of local produce Context This action area is centred on making better use of what is already produced in the Park and also work to generate new product lines. There is a clear need to facilitate supply chain development within the Park and encourage producers, processors and retailers to work together to exploit market opportunities for local food. The emphasis on increasing production needs to focus on gaps in the market, clearly linked to the potential for growth and consumer demand. For example, there are key gaps in the chain for eggs, pork, fruit, vegetables, salads, cheese and artisan bread. Further work in the form of scoping is required in order to identify barriers and specific interventions. There are particular strengths in the production base across the Park with a good range of beef, lamb and venison being produced. In addition, the Park has a slaughterhouse at Grantown on Spey (certified by the Soil Association) and many notable butchers. However, not all meat producers are making use of the slaughterhouse Ð around two thirds of livestock leaves the Park for finishing, slaughtering and processing. Recommended actions Increasing production: engagement with Cairngorms Farmers Forum The forum is a peer-led group which is already in existence. It is important that formal engagement is put in place to gain the forumÕs support for delivery of this Plan, and ensure ongoing involvement in delivery of the PlanÕs recommended actions. Formal dialogue with this group can also look at how to increase production and processing within and surrounding the Park. This could consider how to support diversification with existing producers, to support their production of new product lines and how to engage new entrants into farming and food production. Increasing production: land use Availability of land for food production remains a challenge for some. The Local Development Plan process commencing in 2010 offers an opportunity to ensure land for food production features, particularly for communities. Image of Red deer stags, see PDF Draft Page 36 Other initiatives such as increasing diversification of existing businesses, support for startups, support for allotments, and the development of forest crofts, offer further scope to explore this issue. Increasing processing: SWOT analysis of key infrastructure There is a need to carry out an analysis of the threats and opportunities for key finishing, slaughtering and processing infrastructure including the Kingussie Auction Mart and Grantown on Spey Slaughterhouse. This work should identify support measures Ð e.g. funding opportunities for development Ð to ensure their long-term security, and from this a plan to implement the identified support measures formulated. Discussions on implementing this should be progressed immediately with Highlands and Islands Enterprise. Increasing production and utilisation: supply chain action plan Scopings should be carried out to identify the barriers that are inhibiting the supply of produce within the Park, and identify tailored interventions to overcome these barriers. Examples should include: ¥ Topic-led workshops with expert speakers e.g. how to extend the growing season and how to sell meat direct to customers; ¥ Focused introductions which bring producers, processors and retailers together e.g. Òmeet the buyerÓ; ¥ Support in the tender process e.g. providing information to procurers on adapting tendering processes to make them more accessible to local suppliers whilst complying with EU regulations. Outputs and outcomes Actions identified in this section will deliver the following Development Plan outputs and outcomes for the Cairngorms National Park. Outputs Outcomes ¥ Increase number of local producers supplying retailers in the Park ¥ Increase quantity of local food supplied to retailers in the Park ¥ Increase number of retailers selling local produce in the Park ¥ Increase sales of local produce in the Park ¥ Increase in the amount of quality food and drink produced in the Park ¥ Increase in the use of local food across the Park ¥ Increase in the consumption of locally produced food in the Park ¥ Expansion of the ParkÕs local food economy ¥ Decrease in the ParkÕs food carbon footprint Draft Page 37 3.4 Increasing procurement of local produce Context This action area considers how to increase the procurement of local and seasonal produce by public agencies such as local authorities. The Soil Association has been leading the campaign for more local, unprocessed, seasonal and organic food on the public plate through its Supply Chain project in Scotland and also through the Food for Life Catering Mark. Highland Council Catering Service has already achieved the Bronze Level, reflecting their approach to local procurement of produce for school meals. Glenmore Lodge is now considering working towards the Gold Level and Cairngorm Mountain is interested in working towards at least the Bronze Level. As such, there are key procurement champions, which can assist in driving increased public procurement forward across the Park and across the other local authorities who are part of the Park area. The Food for Life Catering Mark could be considered as the quality benchmark for catering services and establishments operating in the Park (Appendix 2). If promoted and adopted, the Catering Mark will lead to an increase in the amount of local, seasonal and organic food procured by public and private caterers. Meeting the Catering Mark is not easy in the Park. We know from existing work that there are key supply chain issues e.g. poor availability of Freedom Chicken and limited availability of other key produce. Aligned to this, producers need support to ensure that they meet requirements relating to consistency of supply, quality, labelling and nutritional standards. This links to actions for building skills (Section 3.7). Recommended actions Food for Life Catering Mark The Food for Life Catering Mark should be promoted to public and private caterers through the provision of practical one-to-one support. This should include: ¥ Working with Glenmore Lodge and Cairngorm Mountain to enable them to obtain a Food for Life Catering Mark and become Food for Life champions; ¥ Carrying out needs assessments based on the skills, equipment, number of meals, etc provided by caterers; Image's of Brown smoked trout from Cairngorm Smokehouse Cambus OÕMay and handmade cheese from Deeside, see PDF Draft Page 38 ¥ Providing an advisory role on menu development and planning; ¥ Sourcing local suppliers; ¥ Work with Moray Council, Aberdeenshire Council, Angus Council and Perth & Kinross to implement Food for Life and achieve at least a Bronze Level Catering Mark. ¥ Brokering the procurement/catering/supply relationship across local authorities; ¥ Supporting producers through the provision of training (Section 3.7). Outputs and outcomes Actions identified in this section will deliver the following Development Plan outputs and outcomes for the Cairngorms National Park. Outputs Outcomes ¥ Increase number of caterers in the Park working to/achieving Food for Life Catering Mark ¥ Increase number of producers supplying public and private caterers in the Park ¥ Increase number of retailers selling local produce in the Park ¥ Increase sales of local produce in the Park ¥ Increase in the amount of quality food and drink produced in the Park ¥ Increase in the use of local food across the Park ¥ Increase in the consumption of locally produced food in the Park ¥ Expansion of the ParkÕs local food economy ¥ Decrease in the ParkÕs food carbon footprint Case study: Highland Council Catering Service Highland Council, the largest in-house catering service in Scotland, provides school meals to 183 primary schools and 29 secondary schools across ScotlandÕs largest region, which includes some of the countryÕs most remote schools. The Council launched Food for Life in the council chamber in 2005, and organised meetings to encourage local producers to tender for procurement contracts. The Council was awarded a Food for Life Bronze Catering Mark for the production of fresh seasonal menus, free from undesirable additives, with catering staff involved in promoting healthy eating habits in schools. Many schools now have food-growing gardens as part of their eco-schools projects, and deliver food education involving school cooks as part of health education weeks and other initiatives. The catering service is currently working towards achieving a Silver Catering Mark for all school meals, including its 29 secondary school kitchens. The Council already meets most of the criteria for Silver including local, Fair Trade, organic and MSC certified ingredients and high animal welfare standards. Draft Page 39 3.5 Increasing demand for local produce Context Whilst there is already a demand for locally produced food due to its trusted provenance, there is also significant scope to create new demand. At present, marketing of local food is very limited and fragmented. The Cairngorms Farmers Market has had considerable success in engaging the resident population and visitors with local food, and it should continue to be supported. Alongside the farmers market, the development of more grass roots community markets in the Park offers potential for improving accessibility. The feasibility of utilising empty retail spaces in towns in the Park to sell local produce should also be examined. This section also links with the schools and community programmes (Section 3.8) to encourage more people to grow and potentially sell their own produce. Increasing the marketing and branding of local produce is a key way of raising awareness as to what is locally available. The Cairngorms National Park brand is an overarching brand, which is available to all local food and drink producers in the National Park subject to meeting national quality and environmental criteria, however at present there is a low take up of the brand by local food and drink producers. Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status for a product from an area is an aspect which affords many potential marketing opportunities and the opportunities for using PGI in the Cairngorms could be explored. Recommended actions Local food guides A local food guide should be produced in the form of a simple leaflet, aimed at all consumers Ð visitors and the resident population. The guide should: ¥ Provide information on what kinds of food are available across the Park; ¥ List outlets which sell local food including shops, farms, restaurants, cafŽs, pubs, hotels and visitor attractions; ¥ Promote the Cairngorms Farmers Market and any other local markets which arise; ¥ Advertise any emergent food website/portal, which will provide further information about local food; ¥ Provide basic information on the benefits of buying local food. Image of Beers produced by the award-winning Cairngorms Brewery,see PDF Draft Page 40 Cairngorms National Park Brand Reasons for the low take up rate of the brand by producers should be investigated, and businesses encouraged to adopt the brand. Local food campaign A well executed Eat Local, Eat Well food campaign, which resonates with the resident population and the tourist population will result in increased demand for local produce. Examples of actions include encouraging and supporting: ¥ High profile local food champions who take a lead on inspiring consumers; ¥ Beacon businesses which promote the benefits of local food to other businesses; ¥ Showcase events which highlight producersÕ products and catering outlets; ¥ Articles in the local media e.g. what produce is in season, recipe of the week, dates for the Cairngorms Farmers Market etc.; ¥ A dedicated food education programme across local schools, linking into the curriculum and also providing opportunities for health promotion and the development of links with community based initiatives; ¥ Locally based initiatives such as the Ferintosh Community Market. Outputs and outcomes Actions identified in this section will deliver the following Development Plan outputs and outcomes for the Cairngorms National Park. Outputs Outcomes ¥ Increase number of retailers selling local produce ¥ Increase sales of local produce ¥ Increase number of businesses using Cairngorms National Park Brand ¥ Increase in the consumption of locally produced food in the Park ¥ Decrease in the ParkÕs food carbon footprint ¥ Improvement in the health of the ParkÕs residents Case study: Ferintosh Community Market The Ferintosh Community Market Ð a 2009 Food and Drink finalist Ð has proven to be both a financial and social success. The market is run fortnightly, selling a range of local food in a relaxed community atmosphere. For a small fee, any local producers, businesses or residents may attend the market to sell their own produce and services Ð food or non-food. Food produce includes fruit, vegetables, eggs, cheese, bread, preserves, coffee, chocolate and seasonal meats. As well as stallholders, the market encourages active community participation, for example, fundraising for local needs and music and the arts. www.morayfirth-partnership.org/283.html Draft Page 41 3.6 Developing food tourism Context Local food and drink needs to be embedded as an integral part of the overall visitor experience and the opportunity of food tourism built upon and maximised. At the moment, food marketing and food tourism is an untapped area across the Park and across its surrounding areas. The development of destination marketing and the creation of the geographically specific Destination Marketing Organisations (DMOs) are already opening up the marketing of local food and drink as part of the tourism package. The Royal Deeside and the Cairngorms DMO is progressing a range of food tourism initiatives including a quarterly online food magazine and a Venison Festival in October. There is, however, a need for coordinated actions across the Park to ensure a seamless experience for the visitor. The Park affords considerable scope to develop food tourism opportunities linked to its outstanding natural and cultural resources e.g. a food trail and a dedicated food festival are identified as potential recommendations for action. In addition, there are opportunities to provide tailored food tourism packages, which link into other tourism opportunities all year round e.g. skiing, wildlife watching, cycling and walking. Case study: Lady Claire McDonald, Kinloch Lodge, Syke Best selling cookery writer Lady Claire Macdonald is famed for her cookery books, her courses and her advocacy of the use of seasonal Scottish produce. Lady MacDonald also runs Kinloch Lodge as a luxury hotel which currently contains a Michelin starred restaurant. Food tourism is a key aspect of Kinloch Lodge. Lady MacDonald runs three-day residential cookery courses. Tuition sessions are balanced with time for relaxation in KinlochÕs luxury setting, but also time to explore Skye and all it offers. www.claire-macdonald.com/cooking/ Recommended actions Marketing of local food to visitors to the Park The production of a local food guide was presented in Section 3.5. This would be a simple leaflet which would give up to date information on where to access locally produced food in the Park. Image of Mountain bikers near Loch an Eilean Photo: Jimmy Mitchell Draft Page 42 However, this alone is not enough to increase the visibility of local food across the Park and to market local food to visitors. Associated actions may also involve the following: ¥ Consider how to develop a coordinated marketing strategy for visitors to Cairngorms utilising food and drink; ¥ Consider how to develop web-based opportunities to promote local food to visitors. This needs to link the work of Visit Scotland, individual producers and retail businesses who have their own web presence and the current work of Royal Deeside DMO; ¥ Consider how to support local tourist businesses to use more local food and in doing so, how they can best be supported to utilise the provenance of in their marketing. Developing the business opportunity of food tourism Opportunities to develop food tourism in the Park should be investigated further. Examples could include: ¥ Researching a food trail around the Park, which should include linking the two key areas of Deeside and Badenoch & Strathspey; ¥ Mapping opportunities for promoting local food through existing events and festivals; ¥ Scoping the potential for a dedicated Cairngorms Food Festival; ¥ Scoping the potential for food themed tourism packages e.g. cookery holidays. Outputs and outcomes Actions identified in this section will deliver the following Development Plan outputs and outcomes for the Cairngorms National Park. Outputs Outcomes ¥ Increase number of businesses using local produce ¥ Increase number of food tourism initiatives in the Park ¥ Increase in the consumption of locally produced food in the Park Case study: eatBute eatBute is a food initiative that was instigated by the Mount Stuart Trust in 2008, which promotes the abundance of food and drink available on the Isle of Bute and in the wider Argyll region. eatBute is promoted throughout the year and a programme of Bute Food and Craft Markets are held at Mount Stuart every few months. The eatBute initiative is celebrated annually at the 'eatBute' event. Now an annual event in the Island's calendar, it showcases the finest produce from Bute and the surrounding areas of Argyll, as well as showing the importance of eating food that is good, clean and fair - in line with the values of ÔSlow Food'. www.eatbute.com Draft Page 43 3.7 Building skills and improving collaboration Context Building skills is important for all businesses involved in food production and provision, and it is also pertinent to the local resident population. Research for the Plan highlighted a range of existing training courses and peer support, which businesses should be encouraged to access. These include the initiatives being supported by VisitScotland, Grampian Food Forum and Highlands and Islands Food Forum. Despite this provision, there is a clearly identified need at a localised level to address specific gaps in skills across the food and drink sector within the Park, which are not being met. Many of the ParkÕs businesses are small and struggle to attend events held in Inverness or Aberdeen, which tend to be more appropriate for larger businesses. Given the geography of the Park, it could be that in addition to cross Park events, that some are structured around Royal Deeside and others around Badenoch and Strathspey. However, formal training might not be the answer to meeting the needs of all producers, processors, retailers and caterers. The Planning Day highlighted the need for businesses to have better links and lines of communication with each other in order to facilitate creative ideas around production, distribution, marketing and retailing, as well as encourage peer support and learning. There is also a clear need to increase awareness amongst the food and drink sector that reducing its carbon footprint can have positive financial benefits. In addition, there needs to be support to enable businesses to reduce their footprint through the implementation of practical measures e.g. reducing waste and making energy savings. The options available for collaboration and co-operation around this should be explored in conjunction with SAOS, with recommended actions for businesses. Recommended actions Cairngorms Food Forum The creation of and support for a forum is recommended for food producers, processors, retailers and caterers to come together and discuss key issues. It should be an open forum and one which facilitates peer support and networking. It can also be a space within which training and learning is delivered. The forum could be supported by any emergent dedicated food website/portal with a private space for members. It was also suggested that it include a public space to promote food and drink in the Park. The forum should have strong links with the Cairngorms Business Partnership and the delivery of this Plan. Training and learning Training and learning opportunities should be developed in conjunction with appropriate providers. Those suggestions which can be delivered through dedicated training should be incorporated into the CNPA Training Plan. Examples include: ¥ Meeting health and safety requirements and food labelling for small producers; Draft Page 44 ¥ Marketing, including web-based, and accessing development grants/loans for small businesses; ¥ Procuring local food and menu-planning for tourism and hospitality businesses; ¥ Mentoring, away days and staff swaps for chefs and staff involved in preparing and cooking food; ¥ Raising awareness of the benefits of carbon footprinting and encouraging more businesses to implement low carbon measures e.g. through training events delivered in the Park, case studies and one-to-one support. Outputs and outcomes Actions identified in this section will deliver the following Development Plan outputs and outcomes for the Cairngorms National Park. Outputs Outcomes ¥ Increase number of people in the Park participating in food and drink training events ¥ Increase number of businesses receiving support ¥ Increase in the amount of quality food and drink produced in the Park ¥ Increase in the use of local food across the Park ¥ Increase in the consumption of locally produced food in the Park ¥ Expansion of the ParkÕs local food economy ¥ Decrease in the ParkÕs food carbon footprint Case study: Pinneys of Scotland Pinneys of Scotland supplies premium quality salmon and seafood products for the UK and European retail market. Pinneys carried out an extensive environmental audit to identify areas for improvement in order to develop a carbon management programme. The company then set ambitious targets to drive it towards environmental excellence. To achieve these goals, Pinneys developed an environmental strategy with seven pillars: climate change; water usage; sustainability; people; packaging and raw materials; product development; and waste, and set objectives for each strand with continued measurement. Key achievements include: ¥ Diverting 77% of waste from landfill; ¥ 5.2% increase in recycling between 2007 and 2008 (now 6% of waste is recycled); ¥ 10% weight reduction across most product packaging; ¥ 18% reduction in the company's carbon footprint; ¥ 11.7% reduction in electricity consumption from process redevelopments; ¥ 31.15% reduction in waste per ton of finished product year on year; ¥ 40% reduction in energy usage per cook through the introduction of a temperature monitoring system. Draft Page 45 3.8 Engaging schools and communities Context Participants in the research were emphatic that engaging more individuals, families and communities in growing fruit and vegetables has significant health benefits as well as benefits for a sustainable regionally based food system. Soil Association Scotland has a track record of delivering food education programmes in schools, and has evidence of the benefits of this in encouraging healthy eating in families and in ensuring children understand the links between farming and the food they eat. Crofting Connections, which is being delivered in partnership by Soil Association Scotland and the Scottish Crofting Federation, is restricted to working with schools which serve crofting communities and hence cannot be extended Park-wide. However, an educational programme modelled on Crofting Connections could be developed to include all primary and secondary schools and their communities located in the Park. Aligned to school-based food education is the need to take forward a programme of food education with the wider community. Whilst this has generally been covered in the action point to devise an Eat Well, Eat Local campaign, there is potential to drive this forward through dedicated grow-yourÐown initiatives. Recommended actions Education programme for schools The following actions should be undertaken to inform the design and implementation of a Food for Life education programme for schools: ¥ Map existing work in schools relating to growing, cooking, nutrition and farm visits; ¥ Consult with stakeholders Ð e.g. Royal Highland Education Trust, Eco-Schools, the Focus on Food Cooking Bus, the Food Academy at Kingussie High School, Kingussie Food on Film Ð to ensure synergy with existing initiatives; ¥ Consult with teachers and educational practitioners to establish links with the Curriculum for Excellence; ¥ Identify the activities, resources, structure and funding required to deliver a Food for Life education programme; ¥ Encourage Moray Council, Aberdeenshire Council, Angus Council and Perth & Kinross Council to work towards a Food for Life Catering Mark Ð the mark for schools includes a range of educational activities e.g. farm visits. Image of Crofting Connections schools grow-their-own,see PDF Draft Page 46 Recommended actions Community initiatives Community initatives which enable residents in the Park to grow and cook local food should be developed and actively supported. This should be well linked into the Eat Well, Eat Local campaign, and actively supported by the creation of community growing spaces and allotments. Examples of community initatives which could be supported include: ¥ Providing practical training in gardening and horticultural skills; ¥ Running cookery classes e.g. in schools and community centres; ¥ Running courses in rearing animals and rural crafts e.g. keeping hens; ¥ Having a web presence which enables people to blog about their involvement, link up with other communities and link into other food growing and food education work. Case study: Good for Ewe Good for Ewe are a group of people resident in and around Inverasdale on the banks of Loch Ewe near Poolewe in Wester Ross, involved in growing and selling local food. The groupÕs vision is to increase availability of affordable, locally grown, chemical free produce to the local community. The group has leased land from a local crofter who is a member of the group. This land is divided up into a number of allotments Ð both outdoor and undercover in polytunnels Ð that are available for rental by the groupÕs members to grow their own produce. The group also hosts ÒThe ShielingÓ project, which provides growing opportunities to involve people who may not be able to maintain a plot of their own. One of the polytunnels is allocated for communal growing of produce for sale at the local market. The group also has a number of outdoor plots that are cultivated by members in an "adopt-a-plot" scheme to grow produce for sale by Good for Ewe. Marketing and sale of the communally grown produce, excess from members' plots, and produce grown by members in their own gardens and crofts, is performed co-operatively. www.goodforewe.org Draft Page 47 Outputs and outcomes Actions identified in this section will deliver the following Development Plan outputs and outcomes for the Cairngorms National Park. Outputs Outcomes ¥ Increase number of schools participating in food education in the Park ¥ Increase number of community food initiatives in the Park ¥ Increase in the consumption of locally produced food in the Park ¥ Decrease in the ParkÕs food carbon footprint ¥ Improvement in the health of the ParkÕs residents ¥ Increase in the strength and resilience of the ParkÕs communities Case study: Crofting Connections Crofting Connections is an educational project run by Soil Association Scotland and the Scottish Crofting Federation. The projectÕs objectives are to: ¥ Increase understanding of the connections between food, health and the environment; ¥ Support schools and communities to create local food-growing initiatives; ¥ Encourage schools and their communities to reduce their ecological and carbon footprints; ¥ Safeguard crofting heritage and traditions unique to local communities; ¥ Provide high quality volunteering opportunities. Through hands-on activities linked to the curriculum, over 1,000 children throughout the crofting counties are learning about the connections between food, health, the environment and their heritage with the active involvement of their local communities. In the Park, Gergask and Dalwhinnie Primary Schools have been involved in the following activities: ¥ Both schools have gardens where the children grow vegetables, salads, herbs and fruit; ¥ Dalwhinnie is working with the Highland Folk Museum on a project about traditional crops; ¥ Gergask primary is working with a local farmer to look at local land use and the availability of local food; ¥ Both schools are learning about bees with a local film-maker and a local beekeeper. www.croftingconnections.com Draft Page 48 3.9 Summary of outputs The following outputs are collated from each action area and will be used to measure the impact of the PlanÕs recommended actions, based on baseline information. Table 1: Summary of outputs Output Measurement Increase number of local producers supplying retailers in the Park To be determined Increase quantity of local produce supplied to retailers in the Park To be determined Increase number of retailers selling local produce in the Park To be determined Increase sales of local produce in the Park To be determined Increase number of businesses adopting Cairngorms National Park Brand To be determined Increase number of new local food businesses created in the Park To be determined Increase number of caterers in the Park working to/achieving Food for Life Catering Mark To be determined Increase number of producers supplying public and private caterers in the Park To be determined Increase number of food tourism initiatives in the Park To be determined Increase number of people participating in food and drink training events in the Park To be determined Increase number of businesses receiving support in the Park To be determined Increase number of schools participating in food education in the Park To be determined Increase number of community food initiatives in the Park To be determined These outputs, along with the market research suggested in Section 3.1 provide a mechanism for ongoing monitoring and evaluation of the Cairngorms Food for Life Development Plan. The Implementation Group (Section 4) will have responsibility for setting measures and ensuring monitoring and evaluation is put into place. Image of River Dee, see PDF Draft Page 49 4. Delivery of the PlanÕs actions and outcomes 4.1 Structures to support implementation This section considers how to implement the PlanÕs actions. Whilst the actions are specific and realistic, this Plan needs to be owned by the wide range of stakeholders which have an interest in it. In considering how to structure Food for Life in the Cairngorms, we have looked at existing delivery models such as Savour the Flavour in Dumfriesshire and Skye Food Links. All required a multi-agency steering group and dedicated staff of at least one full time complement. They do also require the stability and support of a key agency. CNPA is an enabling body. As such they wish to work in partnership to enable success and the delivery of the outcomes which this Plan is designed to achieve. It is proposed that CNPA house and support the Cairngorms Food for Life Development Plan, whilst ensuring it is delivered in partnership with relevant agencies. The proposed delivery structure therefore enables a partnership approach and contains the following key elements. Figure 4 illustrates the model. Strategic support and management In hosting this work, the CNPA Board has overall responsibility and liability for its direction and delivery. However, the Board and the structures within the CNPA need to ensure that Food and Drink in the Park continues to be well linked in with and synergistic with the plans of local authorities, Visit Scotland, HIE, Scotland Food and Drink etc. As such, the key areas of responsibility for strategic management within CNPA will include: ¥ Provide industry insight and expertise to inform the implementation of the Plan; ¥ Ensure the PlanÕs implementation remains well linked into current national and local policies and emergent strategic developments around food and drink; ¥ Ensure the PlanÕs implementation remains well linked into current national and local activities and initiatives around food and drink; ¥ Ensure the PlanÕs implementation continues to reflect the needs of a range of stakeholders concerned with Food and Drink e.g. farming, food processing, tourism, health, education and community. As well as ensuring strategic relevance, CNPA will also be the employing agent for the staff who will deliver the Development plan and as such will: ¥ Providing line management for staff; ¥ Providing administrative and HR support to the staff; ¥ Providing financial management for all aspects of implementing the Plan including financial claims to funders; ¥ Monitoring and evaluating the PlanÕs implementation; ¥ Producing reports for the PlanÕs funders and stakeholders. Draft Page 50 Implementation management group To ensure there is dedicated support for delivery and to also ensure that this support is well linked into key organisations active on the ground across the Park, it is proposed that there is an Implementation Group. This will be a proactive group, which will provide support to staff engaged in the delivery of the Plan and be responsible for delivery of the Plan. The group should comprise approximately eight representatives, drawn from the primary production, processing, retail, hospitality and tourism sectors based within the Park. The groupÕs key responsibilities are to: ¥ Set the direction for the Plan and ensure delivery against this; ¥ Promote engagement with the Plan to all stakeholders locally; ¥ Support the staff team; ¥ Convene working groups to oversee the implementation of the PlanÕs recommended actions; ¥ Be Food for Life champions. Proposed staffing model The delivery of this plan needs a dedicated member of staff driving it forward. Their role will be to put in place some of the actions detailed in Section 3 of this plan. For the remaining actions, they will coordinate stakeholders to work with the Implementation Group on delivery of a range of projects. As such, it is proposed that a Food for Life Coordinator be recruited and employed for the next three years. It is proposed that this is a full time position (or full time equivalent). Some administrative support will be required. This could be a contribution in kind from a partner agency or be provided through CNPA. Figure 4: Delivery model for Cairngorms Food for Life Development Plan Ensuring strategic relevance Implementation Group FFL Coordinator CNPA Cairngorms Food for Life Development Plan Deliverables Line management Enabling delivery Strategic support CNPA Board Implementation Group Food for Life Coordinator Developing Market Intelligence Engaging schools & communities Increasing demand Increasing procurement Improving supply Improving distribution Developing food tourism Building skills Draft Page 51 Section 2 highlighted the range of interested stakeholders from a range of agencies across the Highlands and Islands and across the Food and Drink arena. These stakeholders should remain engaged with this Plan as it is implemented. Some may wish to get involved in bespoke projects as they arise and others may have a particular interest in projects but not wish to be involved. It will also be necessary for the implementation of the Plan to remain engaged with national food policy and its range of implementation mechanisms e.g. through attendance at the Cross Party Group on Food and Drink etc. In addition to this, the Cairngorms Food for Life Development Plan should have an annual review meeting for all key stakeholders to provide a mechanism for: ¥ Updating on progress; ¥ Promoting success and achievements; ¥ Giving an opportunity for strategic dialogue around future plans and emergent priorities. Soil Association Scotland will also retain an ongoing strategic role in overseeing progress and ensuring it fits with the ethos and aspirations of Food for Life Scotland are retained throughout implementation. This will be taken forward via regular meetings with CNPA and occasional attendance at Implementation Group meetings. Image of Spey Valley from Glenbeg, see PDF Draft Page 52 4.2 Implementing the Plan This table links the actions detailed in Section 3 with the funding requirements. It also begins to scope out the potential stakeholders who should be involved in contributing to delivery of sustained and well networked work. It also plans out the initial delivery of the key actions. Once a support structure and the staff member(s) are in post, further implementation plans can be put into place to take the project forward in the longer term. The numbering of the actions refers to the particular section of the report where this is described in detail. Further information on the costs and funding is contained in Section 4.3. Table 2. Implementation Plan Actions Timing Delivery lead Delivery partners Indicative cost & funding 3.1 Developing Market Intelligence Undertake audit to give up to date market information By Nov 2010 External consultant £7,500: LEADER Produce register of food and drink By Dec 2010 External consultant included in above £7,500 Produce directory of producers and processors By Oct 2010 FFL Coordinator CNPA, CBP £3,000:CNPA LEADER, company sponsorship 3.2 Improving distribution of local produce Undertake research into distribution issues and scope out a potential solution By Mar 2011 FFL Coordinator SAOS £7,500: SRDP Engage with Cairngorms Farmers Forum On-going FFL Coordinator CNPA Ensure land for food production through Local Development Plan process On-going FFL Coordinator CNPA 3.3 Improving supply and availability of local produce Engage with Farmers Forum Ð providing guidance and input as required On-going FFL Coordinator CNPA SWOT analysis of processing infrastructure and produce plan of action for future support By Jun 2011 FFL Coordinator CNPA, HIE Not yet costed: HIE Produce and implement supply chain action plan By Jun 2011 FFL Coordinator Soil Association Scotland, SAOS Not yet costed: SRDP 3.4 Increasing procurement of local produce Roll out Food for Life Catering Mark On-going FFL Coordinator Soil Association Scotland Soil Association Scotland to source funding Draft Page 53 3.5 Increasing demand for local produce Produce local food guide By October 2010 FFL Coordinator Visit Scotland, Royal Deeside DMO, Cairngorms Business Partnership £3,000: Cairngorms LEADER, Soil Association Scotland Devise and implement Eat Local, Eat Well campaign By Apr 2011 FFL Coordinator Soil Association Scotland Not yet costed Promote Cairngorms National Park Brand On-going FFL Coordinator CNPA CNPA in kind 3.6 Developing food tourism Research and plan out marketing of food and drink to visitors By February 2011 FFL Coordinator Visit Scotland, Royal Deeside DMO, Cairngorms Business Partnership Not yet costed: Visit Scotland Scope opportunities for food tourism initiatives By October 2011 FFL Coordinator Visit Scotland, Royal Deeside DMO, Cairngorms Business Partnership Depends on nature of proposals 3.7 Building skills and improving collaboration Create Cairngorms Food Forum By Oct 2010 FFL Coordinator Scotland Food and Drink Not yet costed: Scotland Food and Drink support & advice Deliver training and support On-going External agencies & CNPA Ð coordinated by FFL Coordinator CNPA, Highland Food Forum, Scottish Enterprise, SDS, Gourmet Academy, SAOS, Carbon Trust Not yet costed 3.8 Engaging schools and communities Devise and implement education programme for schools By Mar 2011 Soil Association Scotland CNPA, Local Authorities, Learning & Teaching Scotland, Crofting Connections Not yet costed Support community food initiatives On-going FFL Coordinator Highland Council, Aberdeenshire Council, Moray Council, NHS Highland, NHS Grampian, Community organisations Not yet costed Overall Actions Confirm Food for Life Coordinator By Oct 2010 CNPA Approx. £39,500 pa including on costs: central project funding from FPMC or LEADER, CNPA, Visit Scotland, Esmee Fairbairn Foundation. Establish web presence for project Ð either on existing website or as a bespoke entity By February 2011 FFL Coordinator Cairngorms Business Partnership (CBP), Visit Scotland, Royal Deeside DMO £8,000: LEADER Coordinate meetings and annual gathering On-going FFL Coordinator CNPA, Implementation Group, Cairngorms Business Partnership, Highlands & Islands Food Forum, Grampian Food Forum, Cairngorms Food Forum, Farmers Forum £2,600: central project funding from FPMC or LEADER, CNPA, Visit Scotland Page 54 4.3 Funding the Plan Some potential funding sources are given in the implementation plan (Section 4.2) alongside each action. A list of additional potential funding sources which could support the implementation of the Cairngorms Food for Life Development Plan is detailed in Appendix 3. This table includes the areas of interest of each funder. This is not an exhaustive list, but an indicative list of funding programmes which currently exist. In summary, potential core funding for this project is likely to include contributions from the following sources: ¥ CNPA Ð through direct funding and in kind support; ¥ Scottish Government via SRDP and FPMC programmes; ¥ Funding from agencies such as Visit Scotland and other national agencies; ¥ Contributions in kind from agencies such as SAOS; ¥ Contributions from each of the relevant local authorities; ¥ Membership fees e.g. drawn from the Cairngorms Food Group on the basis of servicing the interests of the group; ¥ In-kind contributions e.g. office space and facilities provided by a third party; ¥ Advertising revenue e.g. from the website and published materials such as food guides; ¥ Consultancy e.g. from assisting other food and drink initiatives (this could be a longer term source). Another area of priority is to produce the Directory of Producers and Processors and also the local food leaflet. Both are straightforward to achieve and are actions which key stakeholders across the Park are keen to see happen as soon as possible. The Directory could then be simply updated following the audit into the food producers and processors and indeed should be updated on an annual basis. Page 55 4.4 Resourcing the Plan Rationale and considerations The Cairngorms Food for Life Development Plan requires dedicated resources to achieve its proposed outputs and outcomes. The current financial climate across the public and private sector in Scotland requires a creative approach to financing new work which is also sustainable in the longer term. The actions detailed in the previous sections have resulted in a number of tangible projects which can be taken forward as ring fenced areas of work with bespoke funding or be grouped together as packages of funding. These can be summarised as follows: ¥ Facilitation of the Implementation Group; ¥ Annual national meeting of stakeholders; ¥ Audit of food and drink producers and processors; ¥ Guide/Directory of food and drink producers and processors; ¥ Local food leaflet to promote local food to residents and visitors; ¥ Website Ð either development within existing Cairngorms website or new development; ¥ Feasibility study into distribution needs and solutions; ¥ Analysis and action plan for food processing infrastructure; ¥ Support for development of supply chain; ¥ Support for public procurement of locally produced food and implementation of Food for Life Catering Mark; ¥ Food for Life educational and community programme. The implementation plan presented in the previous section places anticipated costs next to some of these areas, based on our current knowledge of project delivery across these. However, this list is not a complete list of action areas. There are a number of other areas which are less distinct (i.e. are not one off projects which can be contracted out) and form the work programme for a staffing resource to drive forward. The actions presented in Section 3 really do merit the direction and guidance of a Food for Life Coordinator, and it is proposed that this does need to be a full time post for the first three years to give this work a head start. Sustaining some funding for a staff resource beyond the initial first three years is vital to ensure that the momentum of the Cairngorms Food for Life Development Plan is maintained. The importance of sustaining funding for a core post has been highlighted by Savour the Flavour and Skye & Lochalsh Food Link, who said their activities significantly diminished after the cessation of time-limited grant-aid. However, this post could drop back from a full time to a part time position if the Implementation Group is strong enough and has strong enough partnership links with other delivery agencies e.g. Soil Association Scotland, SAOS, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, other CNPA project staff, local authority staff etc. Page 56 Appendix 1: Contributors to Food for Life Development Plan Contributors who attended the Planning Day at Glenmore Lodge Gillian Gordon Achnahannet Farm Produce Alistair MacLennan Balliefurth Farm Alan Woodier and Sylvia Woodier Brooklynn B&B Calum Buchanan Buchanan Foods Sam Faircliff Cairngorm Brewery Dougie Somerville Cairngorm Mountain Emily Singleton Cairngorm Reindeer Centre Fiona Young Cairngorms Farmers Market Chris Bremner Cairngorms National Park Authority Ruathy Donald Cairngorms National Park Authority Fiona Milligan Cairngorms National Park Authority Craig Ireland and Heather Ireland Delfour Hatchery Helen Graham Food on Film Matt Dare Glenmore Lodge Lydie Bocquillon Gourmet Academy Norma Murray Highland Council Daska MacKintosh Highland Wildlife Park Pierre Masson Moray Council Victoria Dawes Rothes Jam George Noble SAOS (Scottish Agricultural Organisations Society) Drew MacFarlane Slack Scottish Rural Property and Business Association Eleanor Logan Soil Association Scotland Lillian Kelly Soil Association Scotland Pam Rodway Soil Association Scotland David Young The Cross Carol Bulloch The Dulaig B&B Jillian Robertson Wild Thinking Gillian Gordon Achnahannet Farm Produce Contributors who gave one-to-one interviews Robert Armstrong Aberdeenshire Council Derek Armstrong Aberdeenshire Council Craig Lafferty Angus Council Lydie Bocquillon Auld Alliance Restaurant, Kingussie Alistair Maclennan Balliefurth Farm Sam Fairclough Cairngorms Brewery Alister McLellan Cairngorms Farmers Market & Local Producer Serena Humphrey Deeside Smokehouse Claire Ross Education & Training, CNPA Jaci Douglas Cairngorms National Park Authority Board member Bob Kinnaird Glenmore Lodge Elisabeth Mathie Grampian Food Forum Hazel Gordon Highland & Islands Food and Drink Forum Page 57 Contributors who gave one-to-one interviews Norma Murray Highland Council (Public Procurement) Colin Simpson Highland Council (Tourism) Marion Ross Highland Council Catering Service Chris Taylor Highlands and Islands Enterprise Mark Swinney MacDonald Hotels Pierre Masson Moray Council Caroline Comerford NHS Grampian Margaret Walker NHS Highland Philippa Grant Rothiemurchus Estate Claire Bruce Royal Deeside & Cairngorms DMO & Glentanar Estate George Noble SAOS Liz Ramsay Savour the Flavour, Dumfries & Galloway Fiona Richmond Scotland Food and Drink Elaine Booth Scottish Enterprise Douglas Watson Scottish Farmers Market Project, SAOS Carol Inglis Skye & Lochalsh Food Links Becky Shaw SNH Sarah Mackie TESCO Lorna Bruce Visit Scotland Dugie Foreman Wark Farm Keith Walker Highland Council (Health Improvement) Bob Kinnaird Glenmore Lodge Elisabeth Mathie Grampian Food Forum Hazel Gordon & Islands Food and Drink Forum Keith Walker (Health Improvement) Page 58 Appendix 2: Food for Life Catering Mark How does it work? The three tiers of Bronze, Silver and Gold allow caterers to make step-wise progress towards greater use of fresh, seasonal, local and organic ingredients and high welfare meat. Logos are awarded for use on approved menus, and on related marketing materials. Who can apply? The Food for Life catering mark is available to applicants from across the UK. Caterers in all sectors can apply, including local authority and private school meal providers, hospitals, nurseries, sports stadia, workplace canteens and restaurants. Food for Life menu criteria include: Bronze ¥ Meals contain no undesirable food additives or hydrogenated fats ¥ 75% of dishes are freshly prepared ¥ Meat meets UK welfare standards and eggs are from cage free hens ¥ Menus are seasonal ¥ Well trained catering staff ¥ No GM ingredients Silver (in addition to Bronze criteria) ¥ A range of local, organic and fair trade food is served ¥ High welfare chicken, eggs and pork products are served (at least Freedom Food or free range Ð equalling the baseline commitment made by leading supermarkets) No fish is served from the Marine Conservation Society's fish to avoid' list ¥ Information is on display about where the food has come from Gold (in addition to Bronze and Silver criteria) ¥ At least 30% of ingredients are organic or Marine Stewardship Council certified ¥ At least 50% of ingredients are locally sourced ¥ Organic meat, dairy products or eggs are served as the highest welfare standard ¥ Non-meat dishes are being promoted as part of a balanced, climate-friendly diet The Food for Life Catering Mark has been awarded to the following caterers in Scotland: Gold ¥ Cawdor Castle, visitor attraction near Nairn: serves on average 800 people per day in the height of the summer ¥ Celtic Football Club Hospitality, Glasgow: for the childrenÕs weekday and match-day menus ¥ East Ayrshire Council: for their primary school menu Ð serves 4,716 meals/day across 40 sites ¥ Edinburgh Steiner School: for their school menu Ð serves around 70 meals/day Bronze ¥ Highland Council: For primary school meals across 173 sites Ð 9,000 meals/day Page 59 Appendix 3: Potential funding sources Funding key Scottish and UK Government European Funding Lottery Local Authority Charitable trust and private Funding organisation / grant name Relevant funding criteria Who can apply Grant value Cairngorms LEADER Fund to enable communities Òto increase the capacity of local rural communities and businesses to build human capital, innovate and coÐoperate, and tackle local development objectivesÓ www.cairngormsÐleader.org/ ¥ Local economy ¥ Natural environment ¥ Local culture and heritage Constituted not-for-profit groups Ð beneficiaries must live or work in the Cairngorms National Park Up to £100,000 Ð no more than 41% in west Cairngorms and 45% in east Cairngorms of total project cost Climate Challenge Fund Fund ÒTo empower communities to take action to reduce their carbon footprintÓ www.infoscotland.com/gogreener/61.html ¥ Carbon emission reduction action plans ¥ Feasibility studies and community engagement for carbon reduction action plans ¥ Community capacity building Legally constituted, not-for-profit community groups including communities of interest No minimum but maximum of £1million Community Food and Health Body which Òensures that everyone in Scotland has the opportunity, ability and confidence to access a healthy and acceptable diet for themselves, their families and communitiesÓ www.communityfoodandhealth.org.uk ¥ Food-growing projects including allotments ¥ Equipment ¥ Education and training Groups and agencies who would like to tackle one or more of the barriers to healthy eating, such as affordability or availability, and the negative impact of culture and lack of food skills £400 Ð £4,000 Event Scotland Designed to showcase towns and regions outwith the larger metropolitan areas of Glasgow and Edinburgh www.eventscotland.org/ ¥ Food and drink events Public and private bodies In the region of £10,000 Ð £30,000 Page 60 Landfill Communities Fund Funded through landfill tax credits for community or environmental projects in the vicinity of landfill sites www.entrust.org.uk/ ¥ Land reclamation ¥ Public amenities and parks ¥ Biodiversity Enrolled Environmental Bodies within a 10 mile radius of the Granish landfill site near Aviemore Not specified Ð requires 10% from a third party Scottish Natural Heritage Body charged with ÒLooking after all of Scotland's nature and landscapes, across all of Scotland for everyoneÓ www.snh.gov.uk ¥ Opportunities for people to appreciate and enjoy the outdoors ¥ Opportunities to learn about the natural heritage ¥ Community development and volunteering Community groups, voluntary groups, NGOs, other organisations and private individuals Small grants Ð up to £10,000 Main grants Ð over £10,000 Scottish Rural Development Programme Ð Food Processing, Marketing & Co-operation (FPMC) Designed to promote sustainable and profitable food production throughout Scotland by ensuring that Scottish food manufacturers and retailers are equipped to respond to change www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Rural/SRDP ¥ Construction of buildings and purchase of plant and equipment ¥ Market research and consultancy, product development, and consumer education ¥ Co-operation, collaboration and development within the food chain Public sector, landowners, voluntary and charitable organisations, public and private partnerships Up to £500,000 Ð maximum contribution of 75% Scottish Rural Development Programme ÐSkills Development Scheme Designed to support the development and delivery of group skills and development initiatives for land managers including farmers, crofters and foresters www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Rural/SRDP ¥ Land management skills ¥ Business management skills Bodies that represent farming, forestry and other land management industries, and bodies involved with promoting the development of land & business management skills within these industries In the region of £5,000 Ð £200,00 Scottish Rural Development Programme Ð Rural Development Contracts Ð Rural Priorities Designed to deliver targeted environmental, social and economic benefits www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Rural/SRDP ¥ Business viability and competitiveness ¥ Landscape ¥ Water and soils ¥ Adaptation to mitigate climate change ¥ Diversification of rural businesses ¥ Thriving local communities Individuals, businesses and constituted groups Not specified Page 61 European Structural Funds Ð ERDF and ESF for Highlands and Islands Framework for the spending of the structural funds for the Convergence Objective Programme for Scotland for 2007-13 www.hipp.org.uk/ ¥ Business competitiveness ¥ Sustainable use (including natural and cultural assets) ¥ Peripheral communities ¥ Increasing the workforce ¥ Investing in the workforce ¥ Access to lifelong learning ¥ Research and innovation ¥ Enterprise growth ¥ Rural development Public organisations and NGOs (some priorities delivered through UHI and HIE) ERDF Ð preference for projects over £100,000 ESF Ð in the region of £20,000 to £500,000 Aberdeenshire Council The council provides financial support through schemes that support business development www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/funding/index.asp ¥ Support for Aberdeenshire Business ¥ Rural Shop Support Scheme ¥ Aberdeenshire Community Asset Fund New and existing businesses and community groups seeking to generate income through new enterprises Loans and grants of various sizes Angus Council The External Funding team helps both Angus Council departments, businesses and voluntary groups with funding from a variety of sources www.angus.gov.uk/externalfunding/default.html ¥ Businesses development ¥ Community projects New and existing businesses and community groups seeking to generate income through new enterprises Loans and grants of various sizes Highland Opportunity Limited (HOL) HOL is an Enterprise Trust owned by the Highland Council which provides a comprehensive range of business support to local enterprises www.highlandÐopportunity.com/businessÐstartÐupÐgrants.htm ¥ The Opportunity Fund ¥ Highland Business Growth Fund ¥ Community Enterprise Loan Fund ¥ Business Start Up Grants ¥ The PrinceÕs Scottish Youth Business Trust New and existing businesses and community groups seeking to generate income through new enterprises Loans and grants of various sizes Moray Council - Business Gateway The council provides free information and advice that supports business development www.moray.gov.uk/moray_standard/page_59743.html ¥ Business start-up ¥ Business development ¥ Social enterprise New and existing businesses and social enterprises Loans and grants of various sizes Page 62 Perth & Kinross Council Ð Business Advisory Team The council provides free information and advice that supports business development www.pkc.gov.uk/Business+and+trade/Support+for+businesses ¥ Business start-up ¥ Business development ¥ Social enterprise New and existing businesses and social enterprises Loans and grants of various sizes East of Scotland Investment Fund A consortium of nine east of Scotland Local Authorities working together to provide loan finance to new and growing SMEs www.eastscotinvest.co.uk ¥ Transport and Distribution ¥ Farm diversification ¥ Tourism & tourism infrastructure Businesses operating as a limited company or limited liability partnership Loans up to £50,000 Big Lottery Fund Ð Community Wildlife Fund to bring local people together to discover, enjoy or protect the wildlife in their local area www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/prog_community_wildlife ¥ Rural or urban environments for people to enjoy ¥ Active and healthy communities Not-for-profit, voluntary and community sector groups, community councils, statutory bodies and schools £300 Ð £10,000 Awards for All Fund for small local communityÐ based projects www.awardsforall.org.uk/scotland/summary.html ¥ Education ¥ Environment ¥ Health Not-for-profit, voluntary and community sector groups, community councils, statutory bodies and schools £500 Ð £10,000 Heritage Lottery Fund Body which supports projects aimed at preserving and making accessible the nation's heritage www.hlf.org ¥ Natural and designed landscapes and gardens ¥ Wildlife including special habitats and species ¥ Heritage education and interpretation ¥ Volunteering Single organisations and partnerships Ð priority given to not-for-profit £3,000 Ð £5million Esmee Fairbairn Foundation One of the largest independent grant making foundations in the UK www.esmeefairbairn.org.uk/ ¥ Access to appropriate, diverse and sustainable food in areas where availability is limited ¥ Scaling up best local practice ¥ Strategic work that supports the development of sustainable food systems Registered charities and not-for-profit organisations In the region of £5,000 Ð £150,000 Page 63 The MacRobert Trust Charitable trust which operates and derives income from the MacRobert family estate www.themacroberttrust.org.uk/ ¥ Community welfare ¥ Agriculture ¥ Horticulture Scottish charities In the region of £5,000 to £50,000