WI aabody stockin up on maet an ither neccesities for fear o nae haein eneuch tae get throu self-isolation due tae the coronavirus, ye wunner wither or nae we’re suin gaun tae be able tae get a fair skelp o products intae oor shops if they are made or grown somewey else. Aaready, for wiks, the shelves hiv been bare an fowk hiv been strugglin tae buy the necessities.

If we cannae get basic items in ower the borders fae abroad an the panic buyers hiv aaready bocht aathin there is tae be bocht, then we are gaun tae hae a gey lot mair tae worry aboot than we aaready hiv. If it daes get tae the point that we cannae get hings in fae owerseas then we are gaun tae hiv tae gaung back tae basics. Relyin on local produce, or even growin oor ain, is gaun tae be oor anely option. An, that is by far nae gaun tae be the worst effect o this pandemic.

This ‘ear it is leuikin mair an mair like we are nae gaun tae be able tae enjoy events like the Taste of Grampian, or agricultural shows aa summer lang, tae celebrate the by-ordinar staundart o maet that is producit bi local fairmers, fishermen an ither fuid production warkers. This summer is nae leukin tae be a normal ane. Usually, jist aboot ilka wikend in the warmer months, fowk are oot promuivin an tastin guid Scots maet. An, sae they shoud.

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Oor produce is kent warldwide for its quality. This ‘ear thou, we are likely gaun tae gain a hail new appreciation for Scots produce if it ends up bein the main fuid source o the hail population. Raither than simply attendin events tae celebrate Scots produce, this summer, the majority o oor diets are gaun tae consist mainly o Scots produce.

Noo, retailers dinnae aye mak it easy tae support Scots fuid producers bi plaisterin Union Jacks aa ower packagin. Aftfiles, ye dinnae ken if yer beef cam fae Angus or Avon. Ither times, packagin provides ye wi the name o the place the product cam fae (be it in ony o the fower nations o the United Kingdom) accompanied bi a flag that symbolises the Union. Baith are misleadin an confusin for consumers.

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An, there seems tae be mair an mair instances far products that are traditionally considert tae be distinctly Scots, sic as haggis an shortbreid, are bein labelled as “British”, an the packagin zhuzed up wi aa kynes o decorations that are reid, fyte an blue. This isnae jist disrespectful, but an attempt tae disolve oor culture an identity, in a simmilar wey that ither symbols o oor national identity sic as the Scots leid has been partially erradicatit ower a period o time. These products are aften fund in airports an ither places far they are oot on show tae tourists. Fit kyne o message daes that send tae fowk fae ither kintras aboot Scots produce?

Some fowk think that pitten Union Jacks on Scots produce is a unionist mind game – an attempt tae reinforce the idea that Scots maun rely on the United Kingdom tae survive ilka time that they gaung tae the supermarket for their messages. Ithers think that sic an idea is jist a conspiracy theory. But, if ye really div want tae support local fairmers an fuid producers, the best wey roon aboot it is tae cut oot the middle man an gie them yer siller directly. Fairmers aften get slichted fan it cams tae bein paid for the produce that they sell on tae bigger companies, sae buyin fae local fairm shops is a braw wey tae ensure that ye are getting a local product an supportin local fuid producers.

Fit why woud ye buy tatties fae Lincoln fan ye can get them newly holed fae the park doon the road? Buyin local means that ye can see far yer fuid has cam fae, an it is gaun tae be an affa lot fresher than somethin that has spent days or wiks traivellin tae get tae ye. Ye shoudnae forgett that cuttin oot the transport aspect is gaun tae help the planet an aa.

BUYIN Scots products raither than anes tane in fae ither airts o the United Kingdom, or the warld, is jist better for the environment in general. If mair products had Saltires on them raither than Union Jacks, mair fowk wad be able tae wark oot fit product had caused the maist emissions tae get tae them in less time.

As, for jist aboot aabody in Scotland, ither than them fa bide in the Borders, buyin a Scots product is mair environmentally freendly than purchasin the same hing that has cam fae England. At a time fan aathin is uncertain, an transportin produce fae ae neuk o the kintra tae anither micht nae aye be a possibility, buyin fae fairmers coud be the maist effective wey for mony fowk tae source their supper.

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This pandemic is gaun tae mak us a gey lot mair greatfu for a lot o different hings. First an formaist, we are aaready realisin foo muckle we human beins need social interaction an the physical affection o the anes that we luve. But, guid maet is jist as crucial tae maintain the health o the nation. The wiks an months tae cam are quite possibly gaun tae mak us aa a sichtie mair appreciative o bidin in a land far we can produce wir ain.

The economy is nae doubt gaun tae hae a lot o recoverin tae dae, an mony businesses, big an smaa are gaun tae gaung unner. Coud it be thou, that Scots fuid production will be ane o the sectors that cams oot o this unscathed, or even better aff than afore? For mony fowk fa are oot o a job acause o the ootbrak, the Scots fuid sector will be a savin grace. An, consumers, wither they ken it or nae, will hae nae option but tae rely on local produce.