Open letter to council leader

Dear Councillor Morton

We appreciate that Argyll and Bute Council are working under considerable stress and difficulty at the moment so we hesitate to ask for more, but are interested to know what planning is being done in the event the present crisis proves more

severe than we all hope. Recent experience shows the danger in governments being under-prepared and too casual in their assessment of risk.

We are not pessimists, but it is not hard to imagine a long lockdown resulting in difficulties over food supplies. It would only take cross-channel ferry companies to cease importing, European providers to keep produce to themselves or British labour shortages to make our harvesting inadequate. Have the council made any contingency plan, for instance by encouraging local food provision as it is now planting season.

Equally, we have, in our coastal waters, an abundance of marine life which could be directed to feed local people. It is unfortunate that, currently, there seems to be little or no fishing out of Oban. The fare on offer at our local fishmonger is almost exclusively farmed, which ideally we would not eat. The export market has collapsed. Can the council find a way to support the development

of a local one? By its nature, climate and geography, Argyll is not well placed to feed its population entirely, but the food it does produce is world-renowned. Other parts of Scotland are better endowed. Is the country as a whole making any plans to exploit these wider resources? Can we trust Westminster to plan adequately for more difficult times? One would like to feel that Argyll is taking some initiative here.

Argyll and Bute Greens recognise and are grateful for the tremendous efforts being made across the region by NHS Highland workers, by our council members and employees, community volunteers and local businesses, and getting us safely throughout this crisis is our principal goal. We write to you openly in the hope local people will take a personal interest in their future well-being.

Cathy Cameron and Dennis Archer Co-convenors, Argyll & Bute Branch

Scottish Green Party