The next item of business is a debate on motion 3102 in the name of Rosanna Cunningham on delivering Scotland's food waste target. Can I invite members who wish to speak in the debate to press their request to speak buttons now? In the open debate, it's four-minute speeches for members, but there is a little time in hand for interventions and time to be made up. I call on Rosanna Cunningham to speak to remove the motion. Cabinet Secretary, ten minutes please. I'm pleased to open this debate, although it has been shrinking as the weeks went by, and I notice that it has now gotten even shorter than it was originally intended to be. I'm hoping that we have a good debate, however, on the problem of tackling food waste. This Government's aspiration is that Scotland become a good food nation, a country where people from every walk of life take pride and pleasure in and benefit from, the food that they produce, buy, serve and eat, day by day. The Scottish Government is developing a holistic approach to food, how we minimise dietary-related disease and raise healthy life expectancy, how we deliver fairer outcomes for Scotland's most deprived communities, where disease, food poverty and hunger hit hardest, how we grow the food and drink industry and, of course, how we improve resource efficiency and, crucially, reduce the amount of food that is wasted. Zero waste Scotland has estimated that, in 2013, we wasted 1.35 million tonnes of food in Scotland. That waste arose in households, in manufacturing, hospitality, retail, education, health and social care and in wholesale operations. We also know that there are significant losses of food on farms, although that is more difficult to measure. Presiding Officer, the Scottish Government has set a target to reduce that total food waste by 33 per cent by 2025. We have aligned our ambition to that of the United Nations and our target will put us on track to deliver the UN sustainable development goal of reducing food waste by 50 per cent by 2030. We set a target because we wanted to focus action all along the supply chain from farm to plate. In identifying actions to reduce food waste, we will prioritise initiatives that also deliver outcomes on health, on food poverty, actions that support our food and drink industry and action that reduces emissions. Both myself and Fergus Ewing, who has responsibility for food and drink as part of his rural economy portfolio, will be working together very closely on proposals for a good food nation bill, which the First Minister announced to Parliament in September. The worst thing that can happen with food waste is that it is sent to landfill, where it creates harmful methane gas. Our landfill ban means that no biodegradable municipal waste can be sent to landfill after 2020. Our waste regulations provide a statutory duty for councils to provide food waste collections in all but the most rural areas. A similar requirement applies to all businesses that produce more than 5kg of food per week. Once local authorities and businesses have collected food waste, they cannot send it for incineration or to landfill, it must be recycled. The Scottish Government has invested more than £25 million in food waste collections since 2011, and 80 per cent of all households now have access to a food waste service. We also intend to review the derogation for rural areas to ensure that we capture and deal with as much food waste as possible. We are making good progress in our efforts to keep food waste out of landfill. The Committee on Climate Change recognises that Scotland's emissions from waste reduced by 77 per cent from 1990, and we will continue those efforts as part of our climate change plan. Food waste that has been collected from households and businesses is able to be used in anaerobic digestion to generate heat and produce digestate. Our waste regulations have helped the anaerobic digestion sector to grow in Scotland, and we will continue to support that sector. The real prize is to avoid food ending up as waste in the first place. That is what Scotland's new food waste target is intended to achieve. I am afraid to say that that is a point that appears to have been missed by the Labour Party. We are not starting from scratch. Between 2009 and 2014, the amount of food that we wasted at home fell by 5.7 per cent, saving households some £92 million. I would like to outline some of the initiatives that have helped us to deliver reductions thus far, and on which we can build in meeting the new ambitious target. For consumers, the love food head waste campaign provides simple solutions to help people to reduce waste and save money at home, planning meals, using up leftovers, portioning, correct storage of food to keep food fresher for longer, freezing and understanding date labels. Of course, at this time of the year, that is probably one of the most germane things for us to be discussing. There is a good-to-go doggie bag scheme now covering 100 restaurants with the aim of reducing food waste and bringing about a shift in our culture with regards to food waste. During the pilot phase of good-to-go, a 40 per cent reduction was reported in the waste from restaurants participating in the pilot. We fund the Courtauld commitment, the voluntary scheme supported by administrations across the UK, which aims to reduce food waste by 20 per cent between 2009 and 2025. Our flagship resource efficient Scotland service provides free food and drink waste audits to help businesses to cut their waste costs and reduce their carbon footprint. Res are working with NHS Tayside to trial a new catering software system with the potential to improve efficiency and lower costs. Zero Waste Scotland is working with 10 SME bakeries and five SME breweries to offer in-depth food waste support and create examples of best practice and guidance for the bakery sector. This morning, I visited the breadwinner bakery in South Gail in Edinburgh, which is a great example of a family food business, thinking hard about avoiding food waste. Around 20 per cent of the bread that would otherwise be wasted in production is given to charity, a further 20 per cent goes to a bio company that makes animal feed and around 50 per cent is donated to a local organic pig farm. I'm sure that members will be interested in the collaboration taking place between Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, Glasgow City Council, Scottish Enterprise and Zero Waste Scotland. That project is piloting an approach to transforming the 200,000 slices of bread that is wasted every single day in Glasgow into beer as a way to minimise resources used in the brewing process and reduce food waste. Far be it for me to say that there are members in this chamber who probably think that that's a wonderful development. Those are just a handful of the initiatives that are happening across Scotland, and I know that members across the chamber will have compelling examples to share of initiatives in their own constituencies, and we want to see good practice extended. But make no mistake, our ambition is significant. We believe that our target is one of the most ambitious of its kind in Europe and beyond, and in due course we will consult on whether it should be a voluntary or statutory target. We will need to up our game. We need to learn from our experience thus far and identify the tools that will help us to reduce the food that we waste by 33 per cent. I want to work with all stakeholders all along the supply chain, from farm to plate, to identify the best way to deliver our ambition on food waste in parallel with our ambitions for a good food nation. Last week, Zeroway Scotland organised the first of a number of cross-sectoral workshops to generate ideas and identify opportunities for sectors to work together to reduce the waste incurred along the supply chain. We do want to reduce the amount of food that is lost before it ever leaves the farm. We want to help manufacturers to avoid the costs of wasted food products. We want to help retailers to meet customer demand while minimising the generation of surplus food. Where surplus food arises, we want it to be redirected to those who need it. When surplus food has no other use for humans, it can have a role in feeding animals. When all other options have been exhausted, it can be captured by our statutory food waste collections and used to generate energy through anaerobic digestion. Reducing food waste is a core element of Scotland's circular economy strategy making things last. The work that Zeroway Scotland, Scottish Enterprise and SEPA have done in partnership with organisations across all of our constituencies to create a more circular economy in Scotland has been recognised by the Circulars, the awards programme run by the World Economic Forum in Davos. Scotland has been shortlisted as a finalist for those awards alongside entries from China, Canada, the Netherlands and South Africa. We can all take pride in Scotland being recognised on the international stage in this way. Next year, I intend to consult on the package of measures that we will need to put in place to deliver our ambitious target. Ahead of that, I welcome all suggestions and ideas from across the chamber on action to reduce the food that we waste. I must caution members that the debate is about preventing waste. It is not just about recycling, because the recycling part of that is not included in the 33 per cent target. I fear that Labour has perhaps misunderstood what it is about. Reducing food waste is an environmental, moral and economic imperative, and I move the motion to the chamber. Thank you very much, cabinet secretary. I call on Peter Chapman to speak to a move amendment 3102.1. Mr Chapman, seven minutes please. Thank you, Presiding Officer, and I refer members to my register of interests as a farmer. I am pleased to see the Scottish Government bringing forward such an important motion today. Food waste is a huge problem. Across the world it is estimated that one third of all food produced is wasted or spoiled, and when millions are starving, this is an international scandal. Food is wasted at every stage of production in the fields, in store at processors, by the retailers and in the home. It is a huge waste of energy, fertilizer and water, adding to climate change as it decomposes and emits greenhouse gases. Here in Scotland it affects household income as hundreds of pounds worth of food is literally thrown away every year by the average family. In our house, if food looks okay and smells okay, then it probably is okay, and I will gladly eat it. That has been my guide for years, and just look at what a fine figure of a man I am. That said, I am not suggesting that we should totally ignore things like best before and sell by dates. I haven't got time, sorry. I would love to, but I haven't got time. I do think that a little common sense would help us to stop good food being thrown in the bin. I am sure that the whole chamber will agree with me when I say that tackling excess waste must be something that we seek to deliver across party lines. Nevertheless, there is a strong opposition. We cannot and will not give this SNP Government a free pass. While I respect that the minister has spoken passionately about the importance of reducing food waste, I am concerned that not enough work on the ground is being done to deliver on these ambitious targets. Indeed, this Government will need to look closely at how it will be able to support more remote local authorities such as the Highlands in delivering food waste processing services while adhering to the key principles of waste management. I believe that in the most remote communities it will be dealing with waste products as close to the point of production as possible that will pose the greatest challenge. Looking at the sheer volume of food waste, we see the scale of the challenge. The recent report on how much food waste is there in Scotland was published just last month and gives us a stark insight into the task that the Government must take on. 600,000 tonnes of waste from households, 740,000 tonnes from commercial and industrial premises, 510,000 tonnes from food and drink manufacturing and another 200,000 tonnes from other sources adds up to a colossal 2 million tonnes annually. That is a staggering amount, which is why I welcome the Government's ambition. However, it is clear that ambition does not necessarily equal successful delivery. To deliver in five years as the SNP plans to do no food waste going to landfill seems extremely ambitious. I wonder if it is realistic. One has to wonder, did the year 2021 come out of thin air or did it come from a reasoned plan with practical means of delivery? Considering that there are parts of the country that do not even carry out food waste recycling yet, it would be a remiss of me if I did not remark on the Minister's bravery for committing to this target. There will be ways to improve food waste figures. There is no doubt about it. For starters, there is certainly more that could be done at the beginning of the food production chain. More work must be done to utilise imperfect but very edible fruit and vegetables. Growing food is not a perfect science, and the most talented farmer will always have fruit and vegetables that are not perfect in every way. We need to find a way to get more of these less than perfect vegetables and fruits into the consumer's food trolley. I speak from experience when I say that food intended for folk can and is consumed by livestock and usually with a lot less griping about how it looks. It is, however, an expensive second best option for the grower. If a farmer can sell a ton of tatties for £200 to a retailer, that same ton of product, if it does not meet specifications, is worth something on the reason of £515. The result of that difference is that whole fields of vegetables cannot be wasted because the price offered is less than the cost of picking it. That said, current proposals under consideration by the UK Government, where retail would buy a full crop and then make best use of the produce, would have multiple benefits. Not only would it reduce the potential for food waste, it would also offer farmers far greater certainty in their incomes. My concern is that this sensible step may be too difficult to implement on the ground. However, of course, this debate is not just about the waste that we produce. We need to get smarter when it comes to processing the waste that we do create. We need a long-term sustainable way to manage the treatment of food waste for which we will need to see political leadership from the SNP. The Government will need to look at all the options, whether that is AD plants feeding more to livestock, composting or using food waste for heat. We also need a Government here in Scotland that recognises the challenge that is faced by local authorities that are already tied into waste management contracts, sometimes for up to 25 years. More needs to be done to educate and prevent food waste in households from happening in the first place. That will require more education about buying only what you need, which would also help hard-working families to make ends meet. I have spoken about how farmers and indeed everyone can contribute to reducing food waste. I am certain that my colleagues and I will always look at practical deliverable proposals to reducing that waste. This is a fight that we need to tackle for the sake of our planet. Presiding Officer, I move the amendment in my name. Thank you very much, Mr Chapman. I now call Claudia Beamish to speak to and move amendment 3102.2. Five minutes please, Ms Beamish. Thank you, Presiding Officer. I indeed move the amendment in my name and Scottish Labour is positive today about supporting the Scottish Government motion and the Tory amendment as well. Just for clarity, as the Cabinet Secretary, I put a question mark over our amendment. I would just like to explain before I go into my other remarks that we are supportive of Scottish Government looking to cut food waste. That is based by one-third by 2025. It is also the opinion of Scottish Labour that that food waste that is not possible to cut should not be going to landfill. That is why we have put our proposal in our amendment as well as an interim measure to make sure that food waste is not going to landfill. That is the range of other possibilities that could happen. Can I just finish the point and say what the amendment involves? We are asking that the Scottish Government consider our proposed target of recycling 100 per cent of food waste by 2020 and recycling being a quite broad definition. I am sure that Maurice Golden will have something to say about that. Just for the benefit of the chamber, when you are speaking about recycling of food waste just for clarity, can you confirm that, in the broadest sense of the term, you are meaning anything, including composting, invest or composting, A and D, in that wider term? Anything other than disposal or prevention is your amendment. I thank the member for that, and I am happy to clarify that that is indeed our position. I hope that that clarifies the point for the Italian Cabinet Secretary. You will give your time back. I am just curious to know what advice was taken when Labour drafted the amendment because I have direct advice from Zero Waste Scotland that the proposal by Labour is unachievable. I have looked with colleagues at the possibilities and the range of different options and therefore I have said that it is a proposed target and that that would be open to discussion. That is where we are. I will proceed to make my other comments. We do need a new approach to food waste in Scotland. As I say, I support Scottish Government's motion today and we certainly support the statement that reducing food waste is a moral, environmental and economic imperative for everyone in Scotland. Food is, of course, a fundamental human necessity, but it is also much more than that. It is an intrinsic part of our culture, society and wellbeing. Food poverty is indeed our shame here in Scotland and anywhere else in the world where it happens. At home here it is a rising and unacceptable one. In 2014-15, the Trussell Trust provided 117,689 people in Scotland with emergency food aid. The chamber will know that this is only a small snapshot of food insecurity. When confronted with these realities, the crime of food wastage becomes even more apparent. The Scottish Government is right to have ambitious targets for food and drink exports, but I would like the cabinet secretary and her closing remarks to clarify a concern that Scottish Labour has about the draft budget for Zero Waste Scotland being cut by £2.9 million. I wonder how the cabinet secretary can square this with the challenges for food waste reduction. More must be done to tackle this uneconomical, unjust and unenvironmental practice of food wastage. It will also take behaviour change and households must be provided with proper information on recycling in the area, which is a challenge for not just Scottish Government but local authorities as well. There are many individual ways that people can make an impact, which has been highlighted by the cabinet secretary already. I would just raise a couple of other ones. I am not sure that I would go past the sell-by-date myself, although my partner and I always have that debate. However, proper understanding of how to store and freeze food types is also important. Beyond that, all those are steps towards a circular economy for Scotland, and we are, as I say, supporting the Tory amendment today. To give it economic context, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation has identified the circular economy, making a global saving of £1.3 trillion a year. In Scotland, a voidable food and drink waste costs households £1.1 billion. Those are the sponsors of the annual success, which is the Holyrood Apple Day. I want to use fruit as a proxy for other forms of creativity with surplus fresh supplies. In my own region of South Scotland, the Clyde Valley Orchards Co-operative has been formed and involves members of the community and orchard growers in making apple juice from regenerated orchards rather than leaving the apples and trees on the trees to rot. Food can also inspire social benefits. In Edinburgh, the social enterprise Fruitful Woods involves people experiencing mental illness in outdoor orchard activity, including pressing apples, and this initiative is funded by products made from the surplus apples. It demonstrates a huge impact that can be lost if fruit was left in the ground. I ask the cabinet secretary to consider further support for community and cooperative activity on food waste, and that is where I will end. Thank you very much. I call Gillian Martin to follow by Edward Mountain. Ms Martin, please. Four minutes. Thank you, Presiding Officer. I would like to inform the chamber first of all that I am the parliamentary liaison officer to the Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform, as I believe we have to do on these occasions. As the MSP for Aberdeenshire East, which includes the town of New Deer, I am delighted to speak in a debate on food waste, as New Deer is a major Scottish hub for the recycling of food waste. In fact, canine recycling handles 50 per cent of Scotland's food waste. That's 50,000 tonnes of food waste per annum of which 30,000 tonnes is collected from restaurants and other food outlets. Canines turns the vast proportion of the food waste tonnage that they receive into BSI-approved agricultural compost. This compost, aside from reusing our food waste, instead of sending it to landfill, also fulfills a dual environmental protection purpose by replacing chemical fertilisers and maintaining the fertility of farmland soil that is used to grow our food. The company also converts food waste into clean biofuel for anaerobic digestion plants, which produce electricity or gas to the public grid and has also acquired a site at Linwood in my friend Tom Arthur's constituency in Renfrewshire south, with plans to midder that state-of-the-art facility down there as well. That will more than double the production capacity for biofuel. A Scottish Government initiative launched in January stipulated that any food outlet producing more than five kilos of food waste per week must segregate it from other waste and have it collected. That improved in the previous stipulation of a threshold of 50 kilos. At a visit to Canines recycling centre earlier this year, I spoke to the managing director Grant Keenan, who informed me that the amount of food waste being recycled from small food outlets bringing them into line with the practices of larger ones and further improving the level of food waste and the quality of food waste that is recycled into these products. I also want to highlight the good work of Zero Waste Scotland in the area of food waste education. Of course, the number one priority for all waste management is to completely eliminate waste in the first place. The cabinet secretary also mentioned the good-to-go trial that encouraged restaurants to offer doggie bags to take home leftovers when you have not been eating them in the restaurant. It has been highly successful and that may change our culture in asking to take leftovers home, which for some reason we have been a wee bit reluctant to do in the past. Whilst I am talking about culture changes in my home having the food bin and waste food collection service in my local authority, those services that they provide has increased my family's awareness of the amount of food waste that we generate. Aberaenshire Council has taken a number of measures to reduce food waste and improve our behaviours around food buying and storage, segregation and recycling. It might have taken this generation and my generation a wee while to get used to segregating and recycling, but it has already second nature to my children who do it without thinking, both at home and at school and college. By the education around minimising food waste, we will make those good habits second nature too. Those behaviours that are encouraged at national and local government level and are hugely assisted by programmes such as Zero Waste Scotland promote are the reason why Scotland really does have a very good chance of meeting our food waste reduction targets by 2025. With households, businesses and the public sector carefully segregating what we still do produce, we can ensure that as much of our food waste ends up being useful rather than being sent as it has been historically to landfill.  What I would like to do is take this to a much more local level in the Highlands and talk about why the Highland is different to the most of Scotland. Not just because the Highlands are the best place to live and work, but we deal with waste in a completely different way. Those of you who have listened to that statement will see that it is true in all but one respect. The respect that is not true is that there are 27,000 houses in Imbanes that deal with food waste in the same way that the rest of Scotland does, that is with curbside collections. It is estimated that those collections collect about 1,700 tonnes of waste per annum. So what really happens to the rest of the food waste in the Highlands? I am not sure that my investigations have proved that anyone can really tell you. Perhaps we should look therefore at the size of the problem. Figures suggest that in each household in the Highland generates about 150kg of food waste a year. So if you scale that up to the Highlands as a whole there would be some 16,000 to 17,000 tonnes of waste annually. Just to complete the mass of you that needs it done, we are only therefore capturing 10% of the food waste that is produced in the Highland. There is another 90% to be collected. Anecdotal evidence would suggest that food waste is composted but the Highlands Council's calculation suggests that between 2001 and 2010 41,236 compost bins have been distributed but demand peaked in 2006 and 2007 and there has been a rapid decline since. So even if you could assume that all the issues that have been supplied by the Highland Council were still being used, which would in fact be false, we have a long way to go if we are to achieve a zero biodegadable food waste to landfill by the end of 2020. So it has to be questioned how this government thinks it will be possible to achieve the very laudable target that they've set if they specifically ignore the Highlands or do not treat them differently. It would be too easy to say that we are the same as the central belt with large urban congregations because dealing with waste collection in those areas is simple. Many MSPs in this chamber know that it's very easy to move around in these congregations on foot from one side to the other and by doing so by a brisk wall. For those of us that live in the Highlands, it takes hours to move from one side to the other and that's an insured car. That highlights the issues. If we look at the cost per household of collecting waste excluding sterling in 2014-15, the Highlands have the highest collection cost for collecting waste, which is nearly 40 per cent higher than the national average, so that is an extremely high cost. When I contacted the Highland Council earlier this week to ask out how they were going to deal with these costs, they had no idea. In fact they hadn't even commissioned a waste plan for the Highland. It appears that the problem is too big and that the DIY solutions that had been suggested and has been used and funded in the past were only scratching the surface and would not be fit for the future. So what is the solution? I have to look to the Government for the answer. It's their target, they must have a solution or is this just a soundbite policy based on unachievable targets. I hope this afternoon that I would see in the budget some money set aside for this and I would take an intervention now if anyone saw it but I did not. So I have real concerns and as my time is up, Presiding Officer, I would like to send summary to the Cabinet Secretary. You must look at the Highlands differently and you must help us achieve that target if it's to be a real target rather than a soundbite one. I'm pleased to have the opportunity to speak in this debate this afternoon. While it's a topic that seems minor to most people out there in the context of day-to-day life, it's one that quickly adds up throughout the year. In one year, as we've heard from the Cabinet Secretary, it's estimated that Scotland will throw away 1.35 million tonnes of food and drink, which in turn costs the public over £1 billion. Or £460 per household in unnecessary purchases. Considering the number of people that experience food insecurity daily here in Scotland, those statistics are simply unacceptable. Clearly, the Scottish Government acknowledges this problem and seeks to address the issue with one of the most ambitious targets of its kind, both in Europe and globally, seeking to cut food waste by a third by 2025. That new goal would make Scotland a global frontrunner in food waste reduction and save at least £500 million. We will, of course, have to tackle this problem from a variety of angles. We can take a lead from several countries that have taken up this fight and we shouldn't hesitate to look to them for inspiration. France, for example, has introduced a law that forbids food waste by supermarkets and compels them to donate unused food to charities and food banks instead of throwing it away. In the UK, as we know, supermarkets donate food on a voluntary basis and they have to be commended on that. However, there's always room for improvement. Other options have been explored in Scotland as well. For instance, as the cabinet secretary and Gillian Martin have already mentioned, the good-to-go doggie bag programme piloted at 15 restaurants across Scotland yielded significant results by allowing customers to bring their unfinished meals home in compostable boxes. Such a small step had huge results—an average waste reduction of 42 per cent per restaurant, with about 92 per cent of surveyed customers when they finished the meal that they took home. That could save the equivalent of 800,000 full meals from being thrown out each year. Reducing food waste would not just address food insecurity in Scotland, but it would also allow us to make positive environmental changes, too. Decomposing food and landfills releases methane, as we know, and greenhouse gas, which, as we also know, significantly contributes to global warming, even more so than carbon dioxide does. The 2020 landfill ruling is very welcome indeed. Countries such as France again are making strides to reduce food waste, and other countries such as Sweden and Norway have embraced ways of efficiently incinerating waste to use as fuel for energy production. The household food waste from my local authority area is used for that purpose at an incinerator in Cumbernauld, so progress is being made. Both of those options that are implemented together could make significant contributions to minimising Scotland's carbon footprint. My local authority, Falkirk Council, has been at the forefront of the food waste strategy since its inception, achieving some very positive results. They have made it a priority to find out what they can do better and to push themselves to meet their own ambitious aims. As one of the highest performing council areas, their work in reducing food waste to landfill is an example of what opportunities lie ahead. However, that can only be done by communities, local authorities and Government working together for the benefit of the environment. We look forward to the release of the climate change plan next month, which would hopefully help to address the issue of ensuring that a landfill ban is the ultimate goal. The circular economy strategy has massive potential to create jobs and to help boost the economy, but that needs to be taken on board by all of us. We all have a responsibility to look after the environment and ensure that we have a sustainable outlook on what the future holds as a zero-waste country. Needless to say that delivering zero waste to landfill is extremely challenging, but with the opportunities within those strategies, working together with our communities will ensure that Scotland can deliver and achieve our targets. We all must play our part in reducing food waste by 30 per cent by 2025, but if local and national Government, along with manufacturers and retailers, show leadership, we will reach our goal and will all collectively up our game. Mark Ruskell, Ms Smith, please. It is actually shocking that we have to discuss the problems of food waste at all, given that one in nine of the world's population are starving and increasing numbers of our own citizens are having to turn to food banks, as well as homeless people, depending on soup kitchens week in, week out. It is also clear that the interests of big business and retail do not often reflect those of the environment or the communities that we live in. Granted, some companies do a bit to try and help the third sector to address food poverty, and I will come to that later, but too many are simply concerned with their own profit margins. If supermarkets and other businesses are not willing to reform voluntarily, there may of course be a case for things such as fines that happen in France, as I mentioned by Angus MacDonald. The problem goes beyond that. As we know, 44 per cent of food waste comes from households, which means that habits have to change, even though we have seen some advances in the habits and the figures. I have to put my hands up to being guilty in the past of not paying enough attention to food waste. However, I have become increasingly aware of the importance of reusing in terms of leftovers, reducing in terms of purchasing less and recycling the unavoidable waste. Along with education campaigns, encouraging use of food waste bins and a weekly collection of them, as happens in North Lanarkshire, is a big factor in reducing avoidable household food waste. As was mentioned previously, in educating families about how much food they are wasting. There are good efforts by councils, and Parliament might want to congratulate North Lanarkshire Council, who were crowned best UK performer in the environmental health category at the Association for Public Service Excellence Awards for the second year, in a row. However, I have to say that good work of councils will not be helped by squeezing council budgets, undervaluing refuse workers and limiting their hours. Although the Government's greener campaign has helped, I think that there is no doubt that more effort is needed across Government to achieve transformational change in our approach to food and waste. Turning to community involvement, there are many examples of good practice. We have certainly heard some of those in the chamber this afternoon. In central Scotland area, Lanarkshire Community Food and Health Partnership run and supply 40 community food co-ops. Based in Burgady, they have been helping local people for 22 years and they are collaborating in the fair share project. What they do is, alongside selling high-quality fresh produce at a low price and running cookery and nutrition sessions, they also get to the issues at the heart of food waste and bring a community benefit with that. Here in Edinburgh, initiatives such as Oxgang's Neighbourhood Centre receive food from matched dispensers to use at their community cafe as a good example. They get assistance by using neighbourly a social platform that connects local projects with people and organisations that want to help. The co-op has always led the way with fair trade products, but they also take part in fair share schemes and they do not send their waste to landfill. Last year alone, they redistributed 30 tonnes of food, which is around 300,000 meals. Peter Chapman might be interested in the fact that they sell so-called ugly fruit and veg in their stores. Community organisations, like those that I have mentioned, believe that there is no excuse for food waste. Those kinds of initiatives can help to make Scotland a zero-waste nation and take some power back from the dominance of big business. As a socialist, food justice is something that I feel strongly about. The importance of this is summed up very well by Dave Watson from Unison, who said that, in addition to the union's interest in staffing issues, we also have a wider concern to ensure that food policy contributes to a more equal society that protects our environment. I totally agree with that, and the importance of this issue for Parliament, people and the planet cannot be underestimated. Mark Ruskell, followed by Liam McArthur. I thank the Government for bringing forward this short debate this afternoon. I very much hope that this is just the start of the conversation on our food culture in this session of Parliament. Our approach to the economy, health, our local and global environment, social justice and identity are all wrapped up in food. The linkages between these themes will provide much of the backdrop to the debates to come on the good food nation and circular economy bills. I would urge the Scottish Government to be bold in joining up action across agendas to make real progress. The setting of a food waste target earlier this year is a very welcome first step, framed around the need to cut greenhouse gas emissions, improve productivity in the food and drink sector and deliver financial savings to households and businesses. I welcome the consultation on the statutory target and the road map that is to follow. I emphasise, as Elaine Smith has just done, that this is also a social justice issue. It is a fact that over 130,000 people a year are visiting truss or truss food banks in Scotland while we throw away nearly one and a half million tonnes of food. For example, there is enough fruit being thrown away each year in Scotland to supply the equivalent of an apple for every child and teacher in Scotland every day for 18 months. It is a shocking waste of food, but you can trace that with a recent survey that showed that only 6 per cent of us felt any shame in actually wasting food. I would urge the Government to build on the moral imperative that is mentioned in the motion and ensure that the social justice implications of food waste form a strong part of its educational work. While there has so far been a strong emphasis on household food waste, the majority of waste occurs before it even reaches homes or, in some cases, before it even reaches the farm gate. So if the Government's target is to be met, then we need a better understanding of the whole supply chain and how waste can be reduced. Manufacturing is responsible for nearly half a million tonnes of food waste and there is little evidence so far of how government is engaging in the entire supply chain, especially at the field end. There is, as the minister has already mentioned, the voluntary courthold commitment for the UK grocery sector aimed at reducing waste, but the modest targets of reducing product and packaging waste in the early phases of that commitment are, I believe, full short of this Government's aspirations until we have yet to see the results of those early phases being published. Separately, the grocery's code lays out guidelines for the relationship between retailers and producers in the UK but is weak on food waste because it only covers the waste that retailers create when food goes beyond its sell-by-date. The grocery's code adjudicator, who oversees enforcement, is currently under review and it's vital that a strong message goes out from this Parliament that the role of the GCA should continue and be strengthened, particularly in relation to waste. It's critical, for example, that we see a supply chain that delivers a fair livelihood for our growers and producers. I'm sure that many members have met producers who've had to plough in fields of perfectly edible vegetables simply because of supermarket's failure to adequately market class 2 produce. The root cause of this problem is an imbalance in our food system where supermarket buyers are able to undermine good practice and forecasting is one of the main areas of waste where orders placed a year in advance can be subject to last-minute variations. Although the code covers good practice on forecasting, it offers plenty of wriggle room for supermarkets. The code should be tightened to require retailers to find outlets for unwanted produce supplied as a result of forecast over forecasting. That could be, for example, via processing or sale to consumers at a lower cost. In the longer term, stable contracts based on purchasing a whole field of produce need to be reflected in the code, alongside ending the sale and return practices, which are leading to huge waste, particularly in the bakery sector at the moment. I welcome the debate today. I think that there are many initiatives in Scotland that cut across education, environment, business, health and local government that can enable us to take a joined up picture to tackle these crises and create a vibrant food culture that we need to nurture in Scotland. I look forward to those approaches being at the heart of the forthcoming good food nation bill. Liam McArthur, followed by Richard Lochhead. Given my performance at First Minister's Questions earlier, I might start with a declaration of interest. Is somebody guilty of creating food waste in my time? I take Mark Ruskell's pre-emptive rebuke in the spirit in which it was intended. I welcome the debate. I support the motion put forward by Roseanna Cunningham. Much, if not all, of what she had to say in her remarks. Equally, I support Peter Chapman's amendment, which I think lays particular emphasis on the circular economy, which I think is helpful. Much, as I would like to support Claudia Beamish's amendment, given her track record in this and related areas, and much, as I believe the Government needs to be aspirational and ambitious in this area for all the reasons that other members have suggested. I think that we also need to be realistic. In the brief time available to me, let me set out why one of the reasons why I don't think what is suggested in that amendment is achievable. In Orkney, there is a real appetite to recycle, to improve environmental performance. Indeed, it is often a frustration that people find that they cannot do more. In an island, I think that the sustainable use of resources and recycling are self-evidently the right thing to be doing. However, Orkney, as the cabinet secretary alluded to in her remarks, is exempt under the food waste regulations on the basis of rurality. There is no plant, solid waste in the main is sent north to Shetland to the heat and power generation up there. The costs involved in collection in Orkney are prohibitively high at this stage, but nobody is happily happy with that state affairs. There is good work going on locally to try and find a solution. The local council is working with SSEs, Scottish Water, some of the waste producers in the agriculture-like aquaculture food and drinks sectors and, indeed, in shipping to come up with an innovative solution that not only deals with the food waste problem but comes up with a solution in terms of heat and power benefiting not just local housing in the area but public buildings and providing a benefit to commercial premises as well. As one might imagine, and on the back of the budget statement that we have just heard, the cabinet secretary will not be surprised to hear that this comes at a cost. Speaking to local officials in Orkney Islands Council, they have estimated the costs at around £40 million to £45 million for the upfront capital, providing a return in terms of reduced running costs of £1 million to £1.5 million a year. That is clearly not something that Orkney Islands Council alone can shoulder and, I think, they quite understandably are looking for match support from the Scottish Government in due course. However, this is also a project that will take time to deliver. The official I spoke to suggested that if we started today, we are still four to five years away from a key in the door. Back to my earlier point about the Labour amendment, I think that, in a practical sense, the deliverability of what Claudia Beamish is talking about is simply not there. As I say, I think that the Government is right to be ambitious. I think that the reasons for that have been well articulated by others. However, it must will the means as well as the end. I can assure Roseanna Cunningham that Orkney stands ready to play our part in creating a good food nation and driving down food waste. However, I hope that the cabinet secretary will commit to the capital and revenue support that will allow them to do so. Richard Lochhead, followed by Finlay Carson. I am really pleased with the opportunity to make a brief contribution to this debate. We should celebrate the fact that Parliament is having a dedicated debate on the subject of food waste, which I think is a very good illustration of how the agenda has changed over recent years. I congratulate Roseanna Cunningham, the cabinet secretary, on bringing forward this debate. Five years ago, or certainly ten years ago, it is very unlikely that we would have all recognised that food waste is such a subject that would deserve its own dedicated debate in the Parliament. Things are certainly going in the right direction. I clearly very much support the Scottish Government's target to reduce food waste by a third by 2025. There is no doubt that, throughout this Parliament, food is going to be much higher up the agenda, food in all its forms, in terms of its impact on our health and wellbeing, on our economy, especially with some of the economic trends that are happening just now, on our environments and on poverty as well. The Good Food Nation Bill, which is promised in SNP's manifesto, is going to be a golden opportunity to put in place some radical, innovative and forward-thinking measures to take forward all of these agendas, which future generations of Scots will look back in many years and thank us for putting in place. If we look at how behaviours change in society over recent years, thanks to the advent of this Parliament, we have good examples to learn from. The plastic bag levy, for instance, was put in place to help change behaviour, and today we are discussing how we now have 75 per cent of households in Scotland with a food recycling service, and that has been achieved in a few short years. Like many other people in this chamber, I have got my food caddy at home, and now I just take it for granted, and I can't imagine living without it and the other recycling bins that I have at home in Murray, but I am still appalled by how often I have to empty the food caddy, and clearly there is still a long way to go in terms of our own behaviour. That is very much a Scottish issue, clearly, but it is also a global issue, and if we have any doubt about how important this agenda is, we have to look at the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization's website and look at some of the jaw-dropping astonishing statistics in terms of human behaviour and the impact that we are having on the planet and the whole of the food debate around that. I just want to quote a couple of statistics. One third of food production in the world for human consumption every year is wasted. That is 1.3 billion tonnes. Global quantitative food losses and waste per year are roughly 30 per cent of cereals, 40 to 50 per cent for root crops, fruits and vegetables, 20 per cent for oil seeds, meat and dairy, plus 35 per cent of the world's fish stocks. Wasted. Wasted. If I remember correctly, nearly a third of the world's fertile land grows food that is wasted. Those are startling statistics that as a society across the globe we have to address, but player part here in Scotland as well. Many of the other agendas that Parliament is dealing with are joined up with this as well, particularly issues such as climate change. We have to recognise that we do not tackle climate change. The amount of food that is wasted on fertile land through storms and adverse extreme weather events will just continue to increase. With all the energy, nutrients and soils that are put into all that production, all being wasted as well. Likewise, if we have food waste and we put it on landfill, that produces gases that contribute to climate change, so all of those agendas are very tied together. However, there are many good organisations in Scotland doing good work just now. I look at our food banks and the effort that many food banks, particularly Murray food bank, which I am very familiar with, are putting into developing new projects that link up the issue of food waste with tackling food poverty. I would ask ministers and the Government to look at those opportunities in our own communities of how we can tackle those two big issues at the same time. Many projects are looking for funding that are coming forward that use food that would normally go to waste to help feed families. All those agendas are joined up. I welcome today's debate. I hope that we can back to Parliament sometime soon and have a further debate on food waste. I call Finlay Carson to be followed by Graham Dey. I am delighted to participate in this debate on delivering Scotland's food waste target. As already has been referred to, the Scottish Government pledged to cut food waste in Scotland by a third by 2025. In order to meet this target, a number of measures around food collection will be necessary, but also an emphasis needs to be placed on the prevention of food waste, and that is where I will direct my comments today. At the start of the year, the Scottish Government launched the first of our circular economy strategy for Scotland, entitled Making Things Last. Waste prevention is a key feature of that strategy, which states that the first priority in a more circular economy is to avoid unnecessary waste and use fewer resources in the first instance. The UK Government also stipulated in the air publication Prevention is Better Than Cure that optimising material inputs on reducing wastage through design has to be the starting point of a resource-efficient economy. It is not enough just to recycle waste, action is also needed to prevent the waste from being created in the first place. One of the ways of encouraging waste prevention is through education, and one campaign does that very well, the Love Food Hate Waste campaign. Its success can be attributed to the selection of handy tips and hints on anything from portion sizes to storing food, as well as innovative recipe ideas that help individuals, businesses and organisations to reduce their food waste. With that advice, people will get the most out of the food they buy, and at the same time as saving money, they will also eat healthier. In Zero Waste Scotland's report on how much food and drink wastes are in Scotland, we were presented with some quite disturbing figures. It claims that in 2014, 60 per cent of household food waste was classed as avoidable, meaning that food with a price tag of over £1 billion a year, an average of £460 per household was put in the bin. It is because of figures like those that we need to do more. Everyone from individuals to business have a role to play in addressing the challenge of food waste prevention. It is imperative that the Government continues their efforts and uses the resources at their disposal to promote good practice and invest in educating people on how to prevent and reduce food waste. It is joined up thinking and working together that will result in targets being met, and ultimately a reduction in the amount of food being wasted. We could learn some lessons from the Courtauld commitment 2025, which has brought together organisations from across the food sector to cut the resources needed to provide our food and drink by one-fifth over 10 years. It is currently got over 120 signatories, ranging from supermarkets and trade associations to government departments and local authorities. Mark Ruskell mentioned that, but would you not recognise, though, that that initiative has yet to report and that the early targets are extremely disappointing—only 3 per cent in the initial phases? I think that there is no doubt that there is more to be done. It is something that the Government can do to encourage increased performance here. I have no doubt that supermarkets and these associations will do everything they can to reach these targets. Ahead of the debate today, I contacted a number of supermarkets to find out what they are doing to prevent food waste, and I have been impressed with some of the initiatives. Members will be pleased to learn that a number of supermarkets do not send any food waste to landfill, instead they send any surplus food that is still fit for human consumption to their charity partners such as FairShare. Last year in Scotland, one supermarket donated the equivalent of 345,000 meals to more than 370 good causes across the country. In addition, some supermarkets make our wonky vegetables not go to waste either. Instead, those vegetables are used in other products, such as ready meals that are sold for less in their wonky veg boxes. I also want to mention the Waste Less Save More campaign, which once supermarkets vesting £10 million over 10 years, and this programme is aimed at reducing customer food waste and saving on money. Initiatives being trialled as part of the programme include giving out fridge magnets, setting up community fridges and rolling out a programme of school engagement, which is a very important part indeed. Supermarkets are crucial to the aim of reducing food waste, and it is good that they are working with bodies such as NFU, BRC and AHDB on a project to reduce food surplus and food waste linked to primary production of fresh produce. Furthermore, Tesco, Sainsbury, Asda, Morrison and the Co-op supermarkets have all ambitious plans to cut landfill from 6 per cent to 1 per cent in 2020. As I have already said, at the heart of preventing food waste's education, if we deal with the problem from outset, the benefits will be much greater than simply meeting targets. The last of the open speeches, Mr Dey, is a strict four minutes please, Mr Dey. Thank you, Presiding Officer. Let me begin by reflecting on a positive already mentioned by others in relation to the subject. Household food waste in Scotland has decreased by an estimated 37,000 tonnes per year, or 5.7 per cent overall since 2009. However, context is everything, and in 2013, across the domestic and the commercial and industrial sectors, Scotland generated a staggering 1.35 million tonnes of food and drink waste. 600,000 tonnes of that from households alone, which means that if we are to hit the Scottish Government target of a one-third reduction by 2025, then we need to be achieving a 445,000 tonnes annual reduction, quite a leap. However, there is certainly no lack of incentive from an environmental and financial perspective, let alone the moral perspective. Nor is rising to the challenge, despite its scale, beyond us. Avoidable waste, and 60 per cent of household food waste is written to be in that category, generates more than 2 per cent of Scotland's entire carbon footprint. The value of what was thrown away, as others have noted, was in excess of £1 billion, or £460 per household. Simply better managing the journey of that food from purchase through our homes would be enough to ensure that we avoided throwing an estimated 12 per cent of all food purchased. As with so many things, climate change-related, the root of tackling this issue, certainly from the domestic perspective, is bringing about behavioural change. From the perspective of prompting that, and struck by research commissioned by Sainsbury's, it identified six types of shoppers, hungry hoarders, shop while hungry, resulting in impulse purchases.  Ditsy diarists do not consult their little black books before their trip to the supermarket. As they eat out a lot or work late, much of what they buy sits unused in the fridge and is eventually thrown away. Food phobics are ultra-conscious and throw away food on or before the best before date without first checking its condition. Separate shoppers are a generation of independent individuals who buy their own food without checking what their partner's or housemate has already bought, often resulting in duplication. Freezers or geysers simply love their leftovers and use their freezers effectively to minimise food waste. Finally, conscientious consumers who love to make meals out of leftovers. I will leave it to the cabinet secretary and other members to consider which of the categories they might fall into. I am a freezer geyser. I will not say who amongst my family is a bit of a ditzy diarist. A clean-out of our admittedly large family fridge last Sunday resulted in the food carry being filled twice over with items that should pass their cell by date by somewhere between two to four weeks. Like so many in the chamber, I suspect, I live in a household that could be doing more. We can all become freezer geysers or conscientious consumers but, better still, we could reduce the need for that by more efficiently planning our shopping in the first place. Having mentioned that piece of work commissioned by Sainsbury's, let me conclude by noting some of the sensible and welcome measures that are being taken by that particular retailer to play their part in reducing food waste. They are, among other things, increasingly sourcing directly from producers so that items such as citrus fruits and salad reach the store more quickly and have a longer shelf life, increasing the amount of meat and fish that is vacuum packed and utilising so-called wonky veg in their basic range, or apple juice, of ready-made mashed potatoes. Simple, practical measures that can and hopefully will make a difference as Scotland seeks to hit a target that, for so many reasons, must be hit. Up to five minutes, please, Mr Stewart. This is a closing speech. Thank you, Presiding Officer. This has been an important and insightful debate, with, I believe, well-informed contributions from across the chamber. I thought that it is ironic, as the festive season beckons. It is an almost Dickanesque record that, in 2014, according to Unilever, 4.2 million Christmas dinners were wasted in the UK, whilst the poor faced food inequality and ill health. In that very same year, Scottish households generated and estimated 600,000 tonnes of food waste and wrapped the waste and resource action programme, estimated that around 270,000 tonnes of food from the food and drink industry could be redistributed to feed people every year. That is enough for a staggering 650 million meals for people in need. So tackling the vast scale of wasted food in our country is an economic, environmental and moral imperative. Economic because just a 5.7 per cent reduction in household waste between 2009 and 2014 saved £92 million. Environmental because food and drink production make up about 20 per cent of our carbon footprint and moral because so many countries around the world are reporting widespread starvation and many living in our own country are struggling to forward to eat. So surely now, Presiding Officer, it's time for a step change in Scotland's food system. Across the world, as we've heard, about a third of food is wasted. If that was reduced by only a quarter, there would be enough to feed everyone on the planet. So in order to make headways, we've heard from all the other speakers today in the terms of reducing food waste, there needs to be a transformational change in terms of food production. To summarise some of the key points of the debate, we need individuals changing attitude to food use. We need large supermarkets to netting unsold food. We need large supermarkets sending zero waste to landfill, like Sainsbury's. We need to cut down on food waste along the supply chain. And, as Elaine Smith has said, we need to develop community and co-op initiatives, like local computes and schemes, and I would refer members to my register of interests as a co-op party member. And we need to develop, as we've heard from across the chamber, new technology, like smart fridge technology and food rescue apps. So I believe that the mantra of reduced reuse and recycle is vital in protecting our environment and our population from the challenges brought by food waste. One organisation in my region of the hands and islands is the Lahabar environmental group, who are working hard to raise awareness and educate people about ways they can help to reduce the amount of food waste through sessions in schools, home visits and free interactive cooking demonstrations. And my Westminster Labour colleague, Kerry McCarthy MP, has introduced a food waste reduction bill in the Commons, through which she's hoping to use stricter guidelines to cut waste in the supply chain. And her objective is to encourage redistribution of leftover food to charity to help people living in food poverty. In the brief time I've got available, I haven't time to mention everyone, but I do believe that this has been an excellent debate. I can't resist mentioning Mr Chapman, who's interesting comments about if it looks good in his house, he eats it. And through you, Presiding Officer, please don't invite me to your Christmas dinner in the 25th. I'm very sorry about that. I also thought there was extremely good contributions from Gillian Martin, and Edward Mountain had a very quotable quote about he doesn't farm rubbish and he's not a rubbish farmer, which I'm sure was prefabricated, nevertheless an extremely good line. And he made some interesting costs about the rural costs, which I can relate to as a high on science member. And Angus MacDonald, I think, made some interesting scientific points about the damaging nature of methane, which is easy to forget. And I would endorse the comments that Elaine Smith made about the issue of co-ops. Mike Ruskell has always had a very thoughtful and influential interventions and contributions. And although my friend Liam McArthur is not supporting the Labour amendment on this occasion, in the spirit of Christmas I always believe that sinners should have the chance to repent, and I hope that next Christmas he will support the Labour amendment. And I'll endorse the comments made by Richard Lochhead, Finn Carson and Graham Day, who's now a freezer geaser. In conclusion, Presiding Officer, and conscious of time, as we approach the dawn of the new year, it will reach the sunset of the old, a year of stunning scientific achievements. We've seen SpaceX, SESFI land, a rocket vertically crucial for the future of our manned space exploration. We've seen new research in the stem cells, which means that disabled stroke patients can walk again. And perhaps where bizarrely but interesting, Chinese scientists have discovered that by adding a one atom link of graphene to solar panels, you can generate electricity from raindrops. But yet today, at this very moment in Scotland, we have an inequitable society where the impovished cannot afford to eat good food, while the affluent relegate food to the bin without a blush. And the words of the former Secretary General of the UN, Baghe Moon, in a world of plenty, no one, not a single person, should go hungry. I now call Morris Golden up to six minutes, please, Mr Golden. Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I refer members to the entry in my register of members' interests with regard to Zero East Scotland, as well as being a Chartered Institute of Waste Manager accredited waste smart trainer. I think reflecting on the debate this afternoon, it's positive to see this agreement over the direction of travel with respect to food waste. I thought Gillian Martin did a sterling job focusing on collections as well as processing and highlighting the good to go doggie bag campaign. Edward Mountain highlighted the lack of food waste collections in rural areas and the cost associated with that. Liam McArthur followed that up with respect to Orkney and looked at potential solutions for that island community. Perhaps commercial feasibility into an aerobic digestion plant on Orkney would be one such solution, and I'd certainly urge the Cabinet Secretary to publish any information that she has available with respect to that. Mark Ruskell and Elaine Smith spoke about food justice with respect to food waste, and Mark followed that up with a substantive point about managing food waste throughout the supply chain. Whole food purchasing of fields was also mentioned by Mark Ruskell and Peter Chapman. Reflecting overall, we are supportive of the Government motion today, recognising the ambitious target but also felt that referenced innovation and the circular economy must be made hence the reason for our amendment. Over the course of the next four and a half minutes, I will explain why innovation is so important by focusing on food waste prevention for consumers and businesses. Before that, we require information on how we measure as well as how we incentivise food waste prevention, especially given that there is a perverse incentive at local authority level to recycle rather than prevent waste. I also have sympathy with the Labour amendment and an assessment of 100 per cent recycling late by 2020, although I agree with the Cabinet Secretary's intervention point that it probably would have been best determined as a recovery rate rather than a recycling rate. Generally, according to the Charter of the Institute of Waste Management, you would not have recycling with respect to food waste within the waste hierarchy. It generally goes from prevention recovery down to disposal. I have got a slide on that as well. I certainly fear that not enough progress has been made with respect to the 2021 target and therefore an assessment at this stage of how food waste targets will be met would very much be welcomed. Furthermore, food poverty is also important to highlight, with the average household able to save £460 per year by throwing less food away, a point eloquently made by Angus MacDonald. Food waste prevention has so many benefits. It is a win for consumers and businesses by saving money, but it is also a win for the environment. As every time food is wasted, the water, energy, time, labour, land, fertiliser, fuel, packaging, put into growing, preparing, storing, transporting, cooking, the food is entirely wasted. The carbon impact of a punitive strawberries is around 3 kilograms and globally, if food waste was a country, it would be the world's third largest emitter of carbon dioxide. On average, preventing one ton of food waste avoids over four tonnes of CO2 equivalent. Love Food Hate Waste Campaign is so important in helping to support and provide advice on how consumers can plan, portion and store food in order to prevent waste, a point well made by my colleague Finlay Carson. That's why it's so worrying how the Scottish Government has cut funding for this particular campaign. I do recognise the work of the Love Food Hate Waste Champions throughout Scotland and Zero Waste East and Bartonshire as one such of those community groups worthy of a mention. Claudia Beamish also mentioned the benefits of orchards in using waste apples to create apple juice, as well as creating positive mental health outcomes. Richard Lochhead explained that he couldn't live without his food waste caddy in a passionate speech about his efforts to tackle food waste. Graham Day confessed that he was a freezer geaser and wanted to encourage conscientious consumers, although he did admit that there was a ditzy diner in his household. I have been trialling a Windows technology at home, which is a set of electronic scales connected to an app that logs all household food waste over a period of four weeks, then calculates how much was being thrown and at what cost. That is a great way to review how you can reduce your food waste overall. We also need to look at businesses and how we encourage businesses to prevent food waste as well as develop innovative solutions for processing. Re-classification of aerobic on-site biogy gestures would be one such way in which we could help businesses, particularly in rural areas. In conclusion, we need to develop innovative solutions to reduce food waste for the benefit of the environment, businesses and consumers, all as part of our journey towards a circular economy. I now call Roseanna Cunningham to close the debate. Eight minutes please, cabinet secretary. This is a kind of debate that probably makes us all feel very guilty. My declaration of interest, yes, like everyone else, I frequently fail to match purchase to consumption. I probably take all of the above box on Graham Day's list, although he didn't mention that. On the plus side, I do grow some of my own food, and my freezers, plural, are stuffed with frozen green beans and courgettes, and I've bottled tomatoes in the pantry. On the downside, there are more apples lying on the ground in my garden than I will ever be able to use, and they will literally be for the birds. I close today's debate by mentioning some things that have not been raised in the debate, but I feel that it is worth talking about, and Maurice Golden referred in passing at the end. I think that I really need to say something about the opportunities for business to make the most of the biological resources flowing through our economy. It's a subject that we've not really touched on today, but it's worth a mention, because the bioeconomy is one of our four priority sectors where we can make the biggest environmental and economic impact. Food waste is a significant source of carbon emissions, and a more circular approach to the beer, whisky fish sectors could lead to potential savings of £0.5 billion per year, so there's a huge opportunity there. Our primary focus is on reducing waste. We want an increasing proportion of biological wastes to be used for production of high-value materials and chemicals, maximising environmental and economic benefits and replacing non-renewable chemical feedstocks. In February, the First Minister announced £70 million of European and Scottish Government money to deliver our circular economy ambitions and our manufacturing action plan. Some of the actions that will relate to food waste will be in those other areas as well. A key element of that is our circular economy investment fund. In October, Paul Wheelhouse announced £1.5 million of funding for a bioeconomy accelerator programme to support innovative projects in partnership with the Scottish Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Centre, which will maximise collaboration between business and research. That speaks to the Conservative amendment in terms of innovation. Scottish Enterprise and Zero Waste Scotland have already provided funding and support to successful companies such as Cellucomp, which turn vegetable waste into a cellulose-based product, which has a significant role in the future. They have also supported Celtic Renewables, which are turning waste into biofuel, which is a direct replacement for fossil road fuel and other valuable chemicals. The Scottish Enterprise and Zero Waste Scotland have already provided funding and support to successful companies such as Cellucomp, which turn vegetable waste into a cellulose-based product, which has a number of applications for paint and coatings. Those who are turning waste into biofuel, which is a direct replacement for fossil road fuel and other valuable chemicals. Those of you who will follow me on social media may know that I have been nurturing my own circular economy project, virtue of aurora sustainability, which are really helping to explore circular economy models in their case, and that meant in my case growing mushrooms on my kitchen windowsill using waste coffee grounds as the medium on which to grow them. The amount of waste coffee grounds that is chucked out every day in Scotland, one can imagine if you can find a solution to their use would be extraordinary. We have had a number of examples of good practice from across the chamber today. Peter Chapman raised the number of issues, but how to support more remote local authorities. Yes, that is an issue and it was raised also by Liam McArthur. To a certain extent it is why there is currently a rural derogation, of course, but that derogation is currently postcode based, which means that urban areas are being captured unnecessarily. That is why we are going to have a look at it again. However, he also rightly points out that there are consumer behaviour issues involved here as well. He will nevertheless be pleased to know that I will be accepting the Conservative amendment. It speaks of the necessity of innovation. Much of that is already happening, and we will need to look for more progress there. Just in passing, we have given £25 million to councils since 2013 for food waste recycling, so they have had money for us on that very particular issue. On the bigger question of zero waste in the draft budget, the budget for zero waste is exactly the same between 2016 and 2017 and 2017 and 2018 at £20.5 million. There is not a cut. What there was in 2016-17 was an extra £3 million given in-year in order for them to do particular things in relation to climate change and other projects. Claudia Beamish spoke to her amendment, as did David Stewart, obviously. However, as I indicated earlier, I have clear and explicit advice from Zero Waste Scotland that the target that she proposes is unachievable. For the avoidance of doubt, having been given such clear advice, I cannot accept that Labour amendment. I regret that, because I know that she will have brought that to the chamber with the very best of intentions. I hope to be able to have further conversations with her on the subject. We may find more to agree on than to disagree. Gillian Martin, Angus MacDonald talked about local examples of good practice. I was interested to hear of Finlay Carson's conversations with local retailers. What he reports is heartening. Edward Mountain talked about treating the highlands differently. Yes, of course. Again, he talked about food recycling, which, as has been indicated, is not part of our target. In any case, the rural derogation takes into account the difficulties that are faced in rural areas, as I have already discussed. To a certain extent, it highlights a problem that is likely to be posed by any 100 per cent target that is attempted to be gone after. Elaine Smith talked about the shame of wasting food in our world when so many have so little. It strikes me that our grandparents and great-grandparents would be bewildered by this debate. I doubt that they wasted so much as a crumb. Mark Ruskell talked about where most food waste comes from. Actually, household is the single largest contributor, followed by manufacturing. The various other sectors have come a good deal further down the list on that. Mark Ruskell, sorry, Mr Ruskell, on the microphone. Can I thank the cabinet secretary for giving way? What specific action will the Scottish Government be taking to strengthen the grocery code? As you know, there is nobody here to speak up for farmers in this chamber. Before you start, cabinet secretary, could I ask people to please have a bit of consideration and stop having conversations, especially quite close to the cabinet secretary? As Mark Ruskell knows from what I said during the debate, there are a number of actions that are going on, a number of conversations and initiatives that are being undertaken. It is the case that we have to go through every single layer of the food waste journey in order to achieve what we want to achieve. As I understand it, supermarkets only account for 2 per cent of food waste. Some of the much bigger targets that we need to achieve are not so much about the supermarkets that are across manufacturing, et cetera. Liam McArthur raised some of the same general issues as Peter Chapman and perhaps Edward Mountain. I think that we all recognise that. The scale of that challenge demonstrates how difficult it is going to be, so we have to think very carefully about how we are going to manage it. Richard Lochhead, could I pay tribute to my predecessor, Richard, in this policy area? We are where we are now because of actions that he took over a number of years. Indeed, the food waste target was announced by him in February this year, so I want to pay tribute to all of that work that he has done. I am going to take everything raised by members today and consider the points further as we put together a package of action to deliver our food waste target. We have launched a series of stakeholder work crops to discuss options to achieve the target, emphasising that all sectors need to work together, including on-farm, all along the supply chain. The next step will be a formal consultation in 2017 on a set of actions to meet that target, which could include legislative measures for inclusion in the good food nation bill. However, I want to remind everyone that the 33 per cent target on food waste prevention does not include food waste recycling. I think that it is very easy in the debate that we have had today and in the discussions that we may have after this debate to conflate those two things. We are not treating them as the same. We are talking specifically about food waste prevention when we talk about the target of 33 per cent by 2025. We are specifically not talking about recycling in terms of that. It can be a little bit difficult to get your head around, but in actual fact, we just need to remember that. Our food waste target, Presiding Officer, is one of the most ambitious in the world. It is a testing target. Our circular economy strategy is about keeping valuable products, including food, in high value use for as long as possible in Scotland—a good food nation. It is about making things last. As a number of people have inferred and implied throughout this debate, now we need to make things happen. That concludes our debate on delivering Scotland's food waste target. The next item of business is consideration of motion 3099 on the appointment of Scottish land commissioners and the tenant farming commissioners. I would ask Brianna Cunningham to move the motion. The question on this motion will be put at decision time. The next item of business is consideration of business motion 3167 in the name of Joe Fitzpatrick on behalf of the Parliamentary Bureau, setting out a revised business programme. I would ask any member who wishes to speak against the motion to press their request to speak buttons. I would ask Joe Fitzpatrick to move motion 3167. No member has asked to speak against the motion. I will now put the question to the chamber. The question is that motion 3167 be agreed. Are we all agreed? We are all agreed. Just before we come to decision time, at the conclusion of First Minister's questions, a point of order was raised by Patrick Harvie. MSP and Mr Harvie asked me to look into the declaration of an interest in proceedings and to consider whether the code of conduct had been complied with. Having done so, I can advise the chamber that it is the responsibility of each member to judge whether a declarable interest is sufficiently relevant to particular proceedings to require a declaration and members are advised to err on the side of caution. I can also advise the chamber that the member in question this afternoon contacted me immediately after FMQs to apologise for an inadvertent oversight. Now we move to decision time. There are four questions to be put as a result of today's business. The first question is that amendment 3102.1, in the name of Peter Chapman, which seeks to amend motion 3102 in the name of Roseanna Cunningham, on delivering Scotland's food waste target, be agreed. Are we all agreed? We are all agreed. The next question is that amendment 3102.2, in the name of Claudia Beamish, which seeks to amend motion in the name of Roseanna Cunningham, be agreed. Are we all agreed? No. We are not agreed. We will move to division 2. The result of the vote on the amendment to the name of Claudia Beamish is yes, 47, no, 65. There were five abstentions. The amendment is therefore not agreed. The next question is that amendment 3102, in the name of Roseanna Cunningham, as amended, on delivering Scotland's food waste target, be agreed. Are we all agreed? Yes. The final question is that motion 3099, in the name of Roseanna Cunningham, on appointment of Scottish land commissioners and the tenant farming commissioner, be agreed. Are we all agreed? Yes. We are agreed. That concludes decision time. I close this meeting of Parliament.


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Alright folks, so I've got a little bit of a feel-good story for you and I know that some people might think Mike How is this a feel-good story?  You know, we're dealing with I noted He's running for president and he said quote well right now Right now I'm trying to do my best to make sure that we don't have an economic meltdown and that people don't die Is that enough for you to keep me busy for today? The blow-up occurred about halfway through a five-minute gaggle where Sanders talked about the unprecedented crisis of our lifetime Calling for a range of measures that the US government should take in the midst of the economic crisis Then Lisa mascara asked what he's saying to his supporters and he sidestepped the question Noting he sent out a statement then I asked him about his timeframe and he was furious Afterwards he mellowed out and answered the questions about the crisis for about two more minutes. So finally Bernie Sanders Was rude to them and I'm sorry, but you have to be This is a global pandemic and you're worried about whether or not he will or won't drop out Why doesn't matter at this time the next primary isn't for what another three or four weeks It doesn't matter at this time. It doesn't matter stop hounding him You're speaking to an individual who was a United States senator who has a tremendous amount of power to actually stop the spread of COVID-19 Why aren't you asking him right now about that? Why isn't that your utmost focus? Like there's so hyper focused on the horse race that they can't turn it off like they can't focus on Anything but that so I love that Bernie Sanders snapped at them You have to go off on them from time to time because their priorities are completely out of whack and That's why I think this is a feel-good story because for months We've seen MSNBC CNN just speak with nothing but contempt towards Bernie Sanders and his supporters and now it really doesn't matter I mean as his path towards the nomination diminishes now It doesn't matter he could be rude to reporters and not worry about how this is going to impact his campaign It doesn't matter anymore We are dealing with a global crisis and CNN just wants to make sure that he drops out so we can officially Coronate Joe Biden.  I Love this and I will say that if Bernie Sanders Was this Frank if you will with reporters from the get-go. I think it would have increased his chances now CNN is trying to make you know a story out of this Does anybody care does anybody care currently that CNN use the that Bernie Sanders use the naughty word towards the CNN reporter Does anybody really care is that of the utmost importance currently that a CNN reporter got his feelings hurt? I mean This reading this tweet it made me so happy it honestly kind of made my day Because I'm just I'm so I'm so frustrated with the state of media in America, you know, I'm not going to You know denounce their coverage of COVID-19.  No, we can just be ourselves. Not that we weren't already. I was certainly myself I wasn't gonna Self-censor, but I mean like it just it doesn't matter. So Bernie Sanders needs to be He needs to he needs to realize that he is in a position of power and influence And I think he does even if he doesn't become the Democratic Party nominee. He is a leader he is a leader and What he says matters and I think that he needs to realize that people look to him and even if the media is going to smear him It doesn't matter because he has enough people on his side To where we trust him and we know that he's looking out for us So if you have to swat down a question and cuss out a CNN reporter from time to time Do it because now it doesn't matter. We're dealing with a global pandemic all bets are off Civility and respectability politics that can all go in the garbage We just have to make sure that we are focusing on the people so if you have to force CNN to focus on what matters the most now at this very crucial time in human history and Yelling at them gets them to pay attention to what matters do it