Press Release: Food Waste

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Alan Brown MP: Deliver 100 million meals to those worst affected by the cost of living crisis 

The representative for Kilmarnock and Loudoun has written to the Prime Minister, calling on the Government to redirect surplus food to those worst affected by the cost of living crisis.

Westminster could deliver 100 million meals worth of food that is currently going to waste on farms and fields in the UK directly to communities and people that are struggling.

Food prices are rising faster than at any time during the last 14 years and 13.7 million people across the UK are food insecure, a figure that has more than doubled since the start of the pandemic. 

Yet recent figures show that 2.9 million tonnes of good-to-eat food go to waste every year on our farms and in our factories.

Funding that previously supported surplus food redistribution has been axed and calls to renew it have been rejected. Mr Brown is supporting FareShare, the UK’s largest food redistribution charity, in calling for this funding to be reinstated.

The charity has joined 57 MPs from across the house in signing a letter that was handed into Downing Street this week. The letter is part of FareShare’s Cost of Living Crisis Appeal, which asks the government to invest £25 million a year in surplus food redistribution, which would make it cost-neutral for farmers to pick, package and transport their unsold surplus food to charity, rather than wasting it.

Commenting, Alan Brown MP for Kilmarnock and Loudoun said:

“No one wants to see good food go to waste, especially at a time when demand is so high. Voluntary organisations locally are under a significant amount of pressure at the moment, and are seeing an unprecedented level of demand for their services.

“For a comparatively small amount of money, supporting food redistribution from farms would have a significant impact, with 100 million meals going to those who need it. Good food should be used to feed people rather than being wasted.”

Lindsay Boswell, CEO of FareShare, added:

“In Kilmarnock and Loudoun last year, FareShare redistributed the equivalent of 273,300 meals via 15 local organisations. As a result of the cost of living crisis we have seen demand skyrocket, and we don’t have enough food to meet this demand. That’s why we launched the Cost of Living Crisis Appeal, so we can get more food to the communities that need it.

“As a charity, we rely on the generosity of our partners in the food industry, fundraisers, and volunteers, but we also need the government to act immediately. At a time of so much need, it is wrong there is so much waste. I’m incredibly grateful to Alan for helping us raise this issue at the centre of government.”

Press Release: East Ayrshire households suffering from Brexit

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‘NO EVIDENCE' OF BREXIT DIVIDEND SAYS BUSINESS LEADER

 INDEPENDENCE THE ONLY WAY TO UNLEASH SCOTLAND’S POTENTIAL

Households and businesses in Kilmarnock and Loudoun are being made to suffer from the worst of the Tories’ botched Brexit Alan Brown MP has warned, after a top business leader slammed Brexit and said there is ‘no evidence’ of the promised dividend to businesses across the country.

 Households in East Ayrshire face a shortfall of £1,011 a year as a result of the Tories’ Brexit, prompting renewed calls from Alan Brown MP for Scottish independence as a means to escape Tory Brexit chaos and rejoin the EU.

Shevaun Haviland, director-general of the British Chambers of Commerce, told Bloomberg that Rishi Sunak should pursue a veterinary agreement to remove checks on food products, something that has hammered Scotland’s world-class food and drink sector.

Ms Haviland also called for changes to the visa system for skilled workers from Europe to work in the UK to fill the gaps in the labour market caused by Brexit.

Commenting, the MP for Kilmarnock and Loudoun said:

“Again, we have even more confirmation that Brexit doesn’t work, at the expense of households and businesses here in Kilmarnock and Loudoun.

“Businesses in my constituency have taken a hammer blow because of Brexit and continue to suffer as a result, the only way they and the rest of Scotland can flourish is by escaping Brexit and becoming an independent country back in the European Union.

“Scotland’s economy has suffered the double whammy of leaving the EU and the Tory-made cost of living crisis. Last week we learned that Scottish exports had nose-dived by 13% since Brexit.

“However, there is no way back to the EU under Westminster control with Labour signed up as a fully-fledged Brexit party. No matter the economic consequences, Labour will keep Scotland out of the European Union, a market seven times the size of the UK.

“Meanwhile countries of a similar size to us continue to outperform the UK. That is why it is only with independence that Scotland can unleash its full potential by re-joining the European Union.”