19/11/07
Farmers from around Scotland will be getting into the Christmas
spirit over the coming weeks as they promote their quality Scottish
food and drink around the country, arranging events and give-aways
to help spread the positive messages about Scottish food and farming.
Jim McLaren,
NFU Scotland President
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The NFU Scotland What’s on Your Plate? campaign, which has
been running since June, is now focusing on Christmas and the quality
Scottish produce that can grace our dinner plates over the festive
season. Following a ‘12 Days of Christmas’ theme, the
campaign will promote 12 of the great Scottish products which we
traditionally eat or drink at Christmas time, from turkey to brussels
sprouts, at 12 different events around the country. The campaign
won’t be forgetting Santa Claus and Rudolph and will be promoting
some of their favourite foods along the way too!
The events will provide an opportunity for people to sample some
superb quality Scottish produce, chances to win hampers of produce
in time for Christmas and, at some of the events, local farmers
will be donating food and drink to charitable organisations.
The first event will be taking place at Tesco Riverside in Dundee
on Friday 23 and Saturday 24 November from 8am until 6pm. Farmers
from the area will be promoting the What’s on Your Plate?
campaign and will be giving away free samples of oats, kindly donated
by Quaker Oats in Cupar, to shoppers so that they can get a taste
of how great porridge at Christmas could taste!
Jim McLaren, NFU Scotland President, said:
“Christmas is a time to eat, drink and be merry. The traditional
Christmas Dinner has evolved into the meal it is today because
all of the ingredients can be produced within our shores and many
are in season during December.
“I believe that too often we forget that link and I am hoping
that this campaign can help to reconnect people with the food they
eat and get them thinking about the numerous benefits associated
with buying locally produced food and drink.
“Scottish farmers have been planning Christmas all year,
producing a great variety of the food that makes up a Christmas
meal.
“Moreover, Scottish farming produce is deemed among the
best anywhere and it is produced to some of the highest animal
welfare and environmental standards in the world.
“As environmentalists have calculated that the average Christmas
dinner has travelled a total distance of nearly 85,000 miles to
your plate, why bother unnecessarily buying food from elsewhere,
when the best in the world is available on your doorstep?
“I would encourage everyone to go along to their local event
if they can and find out more about Scottish food and drink. If
you can’t go along, just look out for the Saltire flag when
you do your Christmas shopping and be safe in the knowledge that
you are helping to safeguard Scotland’s rural communities
as well as the environment, all the while eating superb quality
food.”
Speaking about the Dundee event, Kate Scott, Regional Manager
for NFUS East Central region, said;
“I am really excited about this event. It is such a great
opportunity to promote a quality locally grown product, at the
same time giving shoppers the chance to rediscover porridge oats
which provide an ideal winter breakfast. Santa is known to be a
fan of porridge and I’m sure that Rudolph is partial to some
oats too!
“I should like to thank Quaker for their very kind donation
and I should like to encourage everyone to back Scotland’s
farmers when buying their Christmas food shopping this year. Please
come along and visit us in Dundee and of course remember to buy
Scottish!”
What's
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