Sir, – The drive for a security framework logic in dealing with any crisis often ignores the politics that brought about a crisis in the first place. The impact of such policy decisions mostly exacerbates the cost of living for poorer and vulnerable communities where political agency is minimal.
When it comes to food, there is an overwhelming dependence on global markets. Governments, transnational corporations, along with the media will distract our attention away from how policies on agriculture and food systems operate, which are the main drivers of food scarcity, to focus on other events – the conflict in Ukraine or the climate change crisis. What is missing from the current narrative regarding food scarcity is that energy prices, mineral fertilisers, urea, and nitrates on which farming has been so heavily dependent were already hyped up long before.
There is a history of global food regimes which have had implications for land use and control. Colonial and settler economies produced cheap grains and meat for world markets.
This shifted to large-scale chemical-based, mechanised, and heavily subsidised agriculture heavily reliant on inputs. Meanwhile, structural adjustment policies in the 1980s and 1990s by the World Trade Organisation, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and NAFTA, bankrupt small producers in the global south, leaving these countries with trade deficits, and the vulnerabilities of global food swings on the stock markets.
Initiatives such as Climate Smart Agriculture, the Food for the Future Initiative, and recently the European Green Deal Farm to Fork strategy further integrate small farmers into commercial markets under the banner of sustainable agriculture and by lifting the de facto ban on gene-edited plant cultivation by claiming GMO crops reduce the need for pesticides and fertilisers when this hasn’t been the experience in the Americas. Farm to Fork will overturn the 2018 European Court of Justice ruling that treats CRISPR gene-edited plants or animals under the same strict “precautionary principle” rules for GMO. With no restrictions, gene-editing companies like Bayer-Monsanto, and other giants such as DuPont and Syngenta, will be free to introduce experimental and unproven genetically altered plants and animals into our diet with no labelling.
The Genetic Technology Precision Breeding is currently in the UK Parliament with expectations it will be made into law soon. In Scotland, gene-edited plants or animals are apparently supported by the National Farmers’ Union. Have they not learned the lessons from the Americas? This takes control of food out of the hands of farmers and small growers to the big players.
Land grabbing, or land buy-offs, can mean new arrangements for land. Emerging markets are interested in flex crops with multiple uses, food, feed, fuel, and industrial material. The commodification of land leads to dispossession.
There is a need to return to food and land sovereignty, a term made known by La Via Campesina with its emphasis on localisation of the food system relying on agroecology, and less reliance on inputs. The land ultimately should belong to the people, and the people to the land, and we should strive for a renewed relationship with the land rather than the proposed solutions coming from government and corporate policy makers.
Joanna Nowicki, Drumduan Park, Forres.
Train timetable ignores our needs
Sir, – It’s not only passengers on the Far North Line being hit disproportionately, it also hits those on the Inverness to Kyle line.
A day trip to hospital in Aberdeen is now not possible as the return 15.25 Aberdeen to Inverness train is now scheduled to arrive in Inverness at 17.55 (it used to be 17.47).
This now means it is one minute after the last train to Kyle leaves at 17.54. It sort of indicates how little the decision-makers think or care about those living outside the Central Belt – what difference would the original seven minutes make?
Lizzie Bird, Stromeferry, Ross-shire.
Government needs to focus on day job
Sir, – I keep hearing from various SNP spokespeople that they have a mandate for independence. They do not. Forget for a moment that the total votes cast at the last local and Scottish elections showed a majority for the Union, and that the votes represented under 50% of the voting public, and consider what people voted for.
They voted for parties that they thought would govern Scotland at both national and local government, that would represent all people whatever their position in society and make people’s lives better and healthier.
The current Scottish Government has a mandate from the voters to improve our health service, our educational standards, to reduce drug deaths and run public services more efficiently.
Let us not forget this mandate, and hold the current government to account. They should be representing all Scottish people, not the narrow-minded minority who seem to think independence is the priority.
The SNP definition of mandate is not one the majority of people would recognise.
Andrew Dingwall-Fordyce, Garlogie House, Westhill.
Downing Street a den of debauchery
Sir, – The events, gatherings, parties – or whatever name we choose – taking place in Downing Street during the Covid lockdown era were an absolute disgrace and all involved, from Boris Johnson downward, should feel thoroughly ashamed.
Now we have insiders who attended the events giving their version of what went on to the BBC. It seems that when Friday evening arrived the offices of government were transformed into dens of debauchery where staff of all levels partied till exhausted or unconscious from over-indulgence in liquid refreshment.
On listening to the insiders’ recollections, surely the reasons for attendance must be queried?
Junior staff thought it was OK to party as more senior members gave the green light. Why, even Boris himself had the occasional drink.
As an excuse, absolute nonsense.
Those junior staff were not children being influenced by a Pied Piper of Hamelin figure, the tune from his magic pipe leading them into lawbreaking and misbehaviour, but educated adults who thought working in the rarified atmosphere of Downing Street gave them special privileges.
No adult with unimpaired intellect is forced to attend a party. There are a range of valid excuses for non-attendance from I don’t want to break the law to being a member of the Ancient Order of Partypoopers.
Any politically elected attendee will feel the wrath of the electorate but for those in the civil service life will soon return to normal, reprimands regarding behaviour listened to earnestly and soon forgotten.
On reflection a shameful episode in the tenure of a PM, who in his attempt to be like one of them, lost the authority over the staff his position demands.
Ivan W Reid, Kirkburn, Laurencekirk.
Progress in spite of Christian church
Sir, – The news today that the Church of Scotland has said sorry for its capture and murder of witches continues the litany of apologies this century from the Christian churches for the abject failure of their previous moral certainties.
In addition to the murder of witches, the Christian churches have apologised for the industrial-scale paedophilia of their clergy and their cover-up of it, for their attempted genocide of native peoples, for their Magdalene Laundries, for their role in the slave trade, for their criminalisation of homosexuality and for their oppressive blasphemy laws.
In the Kirk’s case, it has also apologised for its infamous 1923 “Irish menace” report that has fanned the flames of Scotland’s sectarianism ever since.
All this amply demonstrates that humanity’s progress has been in spite of Christian belief and ethics rather than because of them.
Alistair McBay, Lawmuirview, Methven.
Airport deserves ‘international’ tag
Sir, – I thought Don McKay’s letter (Press and Journal, May 26) was a little unfair. Given that 19 overseas destinations are currently served from Aberdeen, billing itself as an “international” airport does not seem unreasonable.
Many of us would like to see more routes available (especially the return of direct services to Paris and Frankfurt), but this may take some time as airlines try to rebuild their staffing and financial positions.
A new non-stop service has been launched from Bergen to New York this month, but Bergen’s runway is 1,000m longer than the one at Aberdeen.
Jim Douglas, Cairnaquheen Gardens, Aberdeen.
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