Appeal to show initiative

Sir,

An open letter to Councillor Aileen Morton, leader of Argyll and Bute Council:

Dear Councillor Morton, We appreciate Argyll and Bute Council is 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 of the present crisis proving more severe than we all

hope. It is not hard to imagine a long lockdown resulting in difficulties with 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. Has the council made any plans to deal with these contingencies, for instance by encouraging local food provision? In our coastal waters we have an abundance of marine life which could be directed to feed local people. 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 – a reputation to build on. Other parts of Scotland are better endowed. Is the country as a whole making any plans to exploit these wider resources? To take this a stage further, can we trust Westminster to plan adequately for more difficult times? One would like to feel Argyll is taking the initiative here. Cathy Cameron and Dennis Archer, co-convenors, Argyll and Bute branch, Scottish Green Party.