Perthshire MSP Jim Fairlie says his row with Marks and Spencer about the lack of Scottish-badged raspberries on their shelves in the region is not constitutional – and insists it essential to protect “world class” producers.
The MSP had earlier complained there were no Scottish raspberries on sale at a Perth store despite “world-class” crops being grown locally.
Mr Fairlie, who represents Perthshire South and Kinross-shire, told the supermarket giant on social media: “Extremely disappointed in this, still no Scottish raspberries on your shelves in Perth despite a bumper crop, and you’re bringing up from England and shipping from Portugal.
“Where is your commitment to our Scottish growers?”
Despite accusations that his comments were driven by support for independence, Mr Fairlie told The Courier it had “nothing to do with the constitution”.
“This is about protecting the viability and security of our food growers so they have a future and we’ve got a resilient supply of local food in this country,” he said.
“This is just one example; whether its berries, beef, lamb or chicken it doesn’t matter. These business have to have a certainty of market.”
A former sheep farmer, Mr Fairlie established the Perth Farmers’ Market over 20 years ago – one of the first of its kind in Scotland.
He explained: “It’s been two years since I’ve been in parliament, but I’ve been making this argument since 1999.
“It’s not an anti-English thing or a constitutional issue, it’s about protecting the Scottish brand which has taken decades to build up.
“It’s one of the unique selling points we have as a food destination country. We have got a fantastic story to tell. That’s the bit I want to highlight.
“We need to build on it so when people come to the UK they know Scotland is a destination because the food and drink is fabulous.”
Scots farmers ‘could be forced to give up’
Mr Fairlie said that without support from supermarkets, farmers may be forced to give up their crops altogether.
He highlighted Blairgowrie farmers Peter and Melanie Thomson, who gave up their blueberry production last year after three decades.
Facing competition from imported varieties from Peru and South Africa, they opened their gates to the public and gave away their crop after its value dropped by £2 million.
The MSP said his Tweet to M&S was a “gentle reminder” that supermarkets rely on Scottish growers and had a wider responsibility.
He added: “Supermarkets control over 90% of grocery sales, they have a responsibility to make sure our resilience as a food producer is there.
“Sometimes they might have to take a bit of a hit in terms of their profits in order to make sure producers can continue and we’ve got that world-class produce on the shelves.
“That’s what all this is about, unfortunately Twitter isn’t the place to get those points across.”
Responding to the MSP, an M&S spokeswoman said: “We work with many Scottish farms – sourcing raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and cherries.
“For example, during the peak of the Scottish strawberry season, 40% of all red diamond strawberries we sell across the UK are from Scotland.
“Our Scottish raspberries will start being harvested soon and will be available in all 94 Scottish stores later this month.”
