Food production, security and exports

Encouraged by the success and turnout at the informative inaugural BUAS Business Breakfast last year, the RSA Fellows’ Borders Network and Rural + Environmental Issues Network in Scotland are delighted this year to be working with the Border Union Agricultural Show to deliver the 2024 Business Breakfast. Whilst attendance is open to all, it is for reasons of capacity exclusively by prior registration. There is little doubt that soil science and food production are topical and worthy of debate. To these should be added the important issues of food quality, regulation, safety of processing and distribution plus the imperative of long-term supply security. Alongside these are issues relating to exports. The speakers will offer short, appropriately provocative presentations which will be followed by facilitated dialogue between the speakers and facilitated discussion with the audience.

It is hoped RSA Fellows, Border Union Show members, plus members of Scottish Land & Estates, Royal Society of Edinburgh, National Farmers Union of Scotland, Women in Agriculture, and Scottish Borders Chamber of Commerce will attend. Also welcome are those involved with, for example, Southern Upland Partnership, South of Scotland Enterprise, Borders Forest Trust, Tweed Forum and other organisations of relevance such as IoD and CBI members. Land Agents, Solicitors and Accountants are also welcome to register as are their clients, the aim being a lively, cogent, articulate, inter-generational and multi-disciplinary audience. Attention is drawn to the final paragraph below re data given to the RSA being shared with BUAS and the event sponsors.

All involved thank the key sponsors supporting this event, namely SEFARI and NFU Mutual. In addition, BUAS is meeting some costs and RBS has generously brought forward to this 2024 event 2023 funding for Ian Wright to travel to Scotland: he had been unable to speak at the RSA’s busy “F5: Future Food, Fisheries, Farming, and Forestry” day conference at the Moredun Institute last year. The timetable on 26 July is important and we recommend parking by 8.15pm, especially for those using the well-signed Public Car Park, as it may take some minutes to reach the Members Marquee.

A small number of complimentary BUAS Showground Entry Tickets are available, with a ballot due in the event of over-subscription. If interested, please swiftly contact apackard.council@rsa.org.uk for details, providing, with specific and stated GDPR consent, email, full postal address, postcode and both landline and mobile numbers, plus RSA Fellowship number if applicable. If inquiring for a young person (aged 18-25) Showground Entrance ticket please cite age, educational institution being attended (with matriculation number) or current apprenticeship or employment information.

Speakers

Professor Lorna DawsonCBE FRSA FRSE, James Hutton Institute, SEFARI and Food, Farming & Countryside Commission. Lorna is Head of the Soil Forensics Group within the Environmental and Biochemical Sciences group at the James Hutton Institute, and has over 30 years’ experience in managing and conducting research in soil and plant interactions, in particular its application in the criminal justice system. She was awarded a CBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours list in June 2018. Lorna is also honorary professor in Forensic Science at Robert Gordon University, and is SEFARI Advisor on the Scottish Government‘s (RESAS) strategic research programme 2016-2021, where she reports to the Directors' Executive Committee to ensure effective delivery of the Scottish Government’s Strategic Research Programme. She is the SEFARI Gateway Knowledge Exchange Lead for Environment. She is affiliated to Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen, contributing to Forensic Science lecture courses and also lectures at the universities of Aberdeen, Strathclyde and Edinburgh. She has supervised over 20 PhD projects and has published over 100 refereed journal papers, books and book chapters, and regularly presents at national and international conferences. Professor Dawson was awarded a Special Recognition award at the Pride of Britain 2017 awards ceremony. Lorna developed the application of soil organo-mineral markers in forensic investigations and was Principal Investigator on a research project funded by the EPSRC (SoilFit), developing tools for soil characterisation in forensics and an aligned KE project (GIMI). This work involved collaboration with various forensic experts in the National Policing Improvement Agency, the Forensic Science Service, and various police laboratories and forces. She was Lead PI on a FW7 European grant (MiSAFE) developing and testing microbial tools for use in case work. She is treasurer of an international Geoforensics network (IUGS Initiative on Forensic Geology-IFG) (and a member of the ENFSI (European Network of Forensic Science Institutes) Animals, Plants, Soils Traces (APST) working group and a member of the Technical Committee of the University of Messina, Rome, teaching on the Masters in Forensic Geology course. She coordinated sessions at the International Crime Science Meetings, London, 2007-2009 and organised major conferences on environmental and criminal soil forensics in 2007 and 2010 and the International Network of Environmental Forensics and has co-organised major international conferences in 2007 (Edinburgh), 2010 (California) 2012 (The Hague) and 2016 (London). Lorna is the Co-Chairman in Scotland of the Food, Farming and Countryside Commission, the first few years of which saw it hosted both at and by the Royal Society of Arts at the Society’s “House” in John Adam Street, London and has been closely involved with the Commission (led by Sue Pritchard) since its inception. Her co-chairman in Scotland currently is the Chief Executive of the RSE.

Heather Kelman, FSS Chairman, has been a member of the Food Standards Scotland (FSS) Board since it was established in April 2015 and a member of the FSS Audit and Risk Committee from April 2020 and Nutrition Programme Board since July 2018. She has 40 years’ experience of working in the public sector, the first 10 years as a dietitian, then as a strategic planner and senior manager within the NHS. Heather worked closely with Scottish Government and other Stakeholders on several health policy issues including the development of the Public Bodies (Joint Working) (Scotland) Act 2014 and Healthcare Associated Infection. Health protection, promoting positive health and wellbeing and addressing health inequalities were a particular focus throughout her career. Heather’s childhood in Scotland was closely associated with food manufacture, retail and agriculture and she continues to have a strong interest in these, alongside protecting the environment and doing conservation work.

Martin Kennedy, President, NFUS. Martin is a tenant farmer in Highland Perthshire and farms with his wife Jane and three daughters. They have 600 ewes and 60 cows on the farm rising from 800ft to over 2,500ft. Martin served two years as Highland Perthshire branch chairman, before representing East Central region on the LFA committee in 2009. He then went on to be vice chairman, later chairing the committee for three years. He was elected Vice President in 2017 and was elected as NFU Scotland’s 63rd President on 12 February 2021.

Ian Wright is a business and management adviser. He specialises in risk and reputation, building on two decades of experience senior management positions in FTSE Top 20 companies. Ian chairs the newly established UK Food & Drink Export Council and advises a number of major food and drink companies. As Global Corporate Relations Director of Diageo plc, Ian sat on the executive committee and held a series of leadership roles at The Boots Company. Deputy Chair at Hume Brophy, Ian sits on the Business Advisory Council of the Foreign, Commonwealth and International Development Office. Previously Chief Executive of the UK Food & Drink Sector Federation, and Chair of the industry’s Sector Council, Ian was also a member of the UK Trade & Agriculture Commission. He has led Cabinet Office external reviews of HM Defence Equipment & Support, Porton Down Research Establishment and the Government Communications Service. He is a frequent broadcaster on television and radio, is a regular witness for Parliamentary select committees and has a regular column in The Grocer magazine. He was awarded a CBE for political and public service in 2015.