Stevenson Welcomes Canadian Breakthrough for Scotch Beef

Local SNP MSP Stewart Stevenson has welcomed the announcement that Scotch Beef is being sold in Canada for the first time in 24 years following a campaign supported by the Scottish Government.

Aberdeen Angus is on the menu at steakhouse Jacob’s & Co in Toronto, Ontario, making it the first Canadian restaurant to sell Scotch Beef since a ban on UK beef imports was introduced in 1996.

Speciality grocer Denninger's has also reintroduced Scotch Beef to its fresh meat counters across its five stores in Ontario.

Commenting, Stewart Stevenson MSP said:

“This is very welcome news indeed for the beef sector and I pay tribute to the huge amount of work done by Quality Meat Scotland, the Scottish Government, and others to get Scotch Beef back on the market in Canada.

“The key selling point for Scotch Beef is its high quality backed by a trusted brand. I’m delighted this breakthrough has been made and look forward to further opportunities in the re-emerging Canadian market.”

Rural Economy Secretary Fergus Ewing MSP said:

“I’m delighted that, after 24 years, Scotch Beef is now available in a Canadian restaurant and can be bought in stores alongside some of the finest global produce. Since Canada reopened its market, we have been committed to connecting key buyers and retailers with Scotch Beef farmers.

“This is the result of significant work by many to support Scottish producers and engage potential Canadian buyers, including Quality Meat Scotland and our dedicated food and drink in-market specialist who took businesses out to meet farmers and producers.

“There is a growing appetite for premium produce with a strong sense of Scottish provenance which we should capitalise on. Scotch Beef exports are currently worth £46.4m to our economy and we will work closely with partner agencies and businesses to help this grow.”

Tories Should Match Scotland's Support for Nursing Students - MSP

Banffshire & Buchan Coast SNP MSP Stewart Stevenson has said the Tories have failed their first test of support for the NHS by trying to train nursing students on the cheap - and called for Boris Johnson to match Scotland's support for nursing students.

The call comes after Prime Minister Johnson offered student nurses in England bursaries worth only half of those in Scotland – and failed to remove tuition fees from nursing courses.

Bursaries for student nurses in England were scrapped as part of the Tories’ austerity measures - a policy that led to more than a 30% drop in nursing applications.

In stark contrast, they were protected and increased in Scotland by the SNP Scottish Government with numbers of nursing student numbers in Scotland having increased for the seventh year in a row. Thanks to the decisions of the Scottish Government, nursing students in Scotland will also receive an increased bursary of £10,000 per year from next September and already benefit from free tuition.

Commenting, Stewart Stevenson said:

“Boris Johnson is failing the NHS and failing those in England who want to become nurses - he wants to train nurses on the cheap and leave them facing huge debts.

“This is after the Tories removed nursing bursaries and introduced tuition fees that led to a 30% drop in nursing student applications at a time when NHS England faced over 40,000 nursing vacancies.

“In Scotland, student nurses will receive a bursary of £10,000 from next September and already benefit from free tuition. The Tories are now offering only half of that and still expect nursing students, who train on the job, to pay thousands in tuition fees.

“This announcement shows that the Tories remain as out of touch with the real cost of living and as wedded to austerity as ever.

“It is time the Tories followed Scotland’s lead, to attract more people into the profession, and gave student nurses the support they need by raising the bursary to £10,000 and making tuition fees free for all.”

Local SNP Enjoys Post-Election Membership Boost

SNP Branches across Banff & Buchan have been enjoying a post-election membership boost with new members joining the party in the wake of the election result which saw the SNP winning the election in Scotland, taking seats from Labour and the Lib Dems and the number of Tory seats being more than halved.

Nationally, the SNP has received more than 5,000 applications for membership in the past two weeks. The party has seen a consistent rise in its membership in recent years going from just over 25,000 in 2013 to more than 90,000 in 2014. As at December 2018, membership was at 125,500.

Commenting, MSP for Banffshire & Buchan Coast Stewart Stevenson said:

“The SNP has had an overwhelming response since the General Election from people applying to join the Party from across the country.

“As well as this spike in membership applications, this month also saw the Yes.scot pledge for independence reach the milestone of 500,000 signatories and of course, there are now a dozen new SNP MPs fighting to make Scotland’s voice heard at Westminster.

“I look forward to working with all of our members – old, new and those yet to join –as we work hard to deliver the best government for Scotland and move forward to independence.”

You can join the SNP online at snp.org/join.