The Right to Food

The United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, Hilal Elver, recently visited Scotland. This informal visit was coordinated by Nourish Scotland, a Non Governmental Organisation (NGO) campaigning on food justice issues in Scotland.

Speaking about her visit, Hilal highlighted Scotland’s opportunity to lead on the right to food through the forthcoming Good Food Nation Bill: “My visit to Scotland has been to inform and inspire decision-makers on the opportunity Scotland has to be a European leader on the right to food.”

“I congratulate the Scottish Government on the progress it has made so far, and encourage them to show leadership by protecting and progressing the right to food in the Good Food Nation Bill.”

“Scotland has some challenges on the right to food, including high levels of food insecurity and diet related health inequalities, problems with access to land, and an agricultural subsidy scheme that is not aligned to social, environmental, and climate commitments – but you also have many opportunities.”

“A hard brexit brings many new challenges to Scotland’s right to food obligations, including risks to farm incomes from export tariffs and unregulated cheap imports, but it is also a chance to rethink outdated policies – particularly on agricultural subsidies.”

Read more: http://www.scottishhumanrights.com/news/un-special-rapporteur-on-the-right-to-food-visits-scotland/

 

Image credit: Michael Stern, Flickr