Scotland's rural affairs secretary, Richard Lochhead has challenged retailers to make a permanent commitment to Scottish sourcing for both meat and other food stuffs.
Speaking at the weekend at the Scottish Association of Meat Wholesalers conference he said: "In the wake of the horse meat scandal we have seen many retailers making promises about increasing local sourcing and shortening supply chains. But farmers and processors need more than warm words in the middle of a scandal. They need a genuine change of purchasing culture.
"I am challenging retailers to turn their rhetoric into reality and deliver confidence to our livestock producers and food manufacturers"
Lochhead said he wanted retailers to demonstrate their commitment through long-term contracts. He said: "Processors also need confidence that orders will be there tomorrow if they are to invest in their plants and the skills of their workforce."
The secretary said he was aware of some announcements to be made in the coming weeks by some of the major retailers.
This story was originally published on a previous version of the Meat Management website and so there may be some missing images and formatting issues.
