Gibson welcomes start of Green Pig Project

News release - farming release
Immediate release

25/08/08

Highlands and Islands SNP MSP Rob Gibson has lodged a motion welcoming the start the of a scheme which is aimed at lessening pig farmers reliance on expensive soya feed.

The Green Pig Project (an international partnership that includes the Scottish Agricultural College) looks to create a viable alternative to importing of soya by delvoping locally grown legumes for pig feed.

Mr Gibson welcomed the SAC involvement...

"Development of food security which is clean and healthy is a must for all parts of the world in the future. In Scotland we already have a reputation for that therefore it is important that we start making multiplying usages of the excellent produce that we have."

"A reliance of importing animal feeds for livestock is not a sustainable position. So any moves towards lessening dependency on outside factor is welcome and a step forward. It will help producer countries which won't have their environments ruined by supplying soya to the world. It will also reduce feed costs of pig farmers and potentially all livestock producers in Scotland."

"The expertise of Scottish scientist who rightly have a renowned reputation as on conventional crop breeders will be at the forefront of this scheme I have no doubt that it will be another feather in their cap."

ENDS

Note

Copy of motion:

The Parliament welcomes news of the trialing of animal feed made from home-grown protein; in particular, congratulates the Scottish Agriculture College for backing the international research collaboration on the Green Pig project that plans to use appropriate home-grown legume varieties to reduce the importation of expensive soybean meal; recognises the need to drastically reduce soya imports that impact adversely on the environmental and social needs of producer countries and the expensive long-distance transport costs of this high-protein animal feed for use by Scottish livestock producers; further notes the likely benefits of lessening the input of nitrogen required by home-grown alternatives such as oilseed rape; and believes that the excellent pedigree of earned by Scottish scientists in conventional plant breeding can be best deployed to develop high-protein animal feed on Scottish farms and crofts that will take a natural and essential place in Scotland's National Food Policy.