David Lawson

Is agriculture set for a bleak summer

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“Shipping is a terrible thing to do to vegetables. They probably get jet-lagged, just like people.” – Elizabeth Berry.
With the winter seemingly never ending, it’s nice to hear that warmer weather is finally on the way.
But while most of us pack away our winter coats for another year those in the farming, horticultural and food industries can take little comfort in the given the damage they have suffered.



Rural bankruptcy, soaring food prices and lack of consumer confidence all suggest the economy could be drifting towards another triple-dip recession later this month.
There is widespread fear that a farming crisis could unfold if crops are not sown by the middle of April before the optimal sowing period ends.
Freezing temperatures and drifting snow has led to mass losses of livestock.
A national body revealed there has been a 16 per cent rise in dead sheep and six per cent in dead cattle from last year.
But as snow starts to melt it looks like these figures will continue to rise.
So what about crops that many of us depend on to create our products?
The bad weather has ravaged some crops so badly that Britain is expected to become a net importer of wheat later this year for the first time in a decade.
Last year’s wet summer saw more than two million tonnes of wheat lost and the recent cold winter means this season’s stock could again be blighted.
Some garden centre owners in London have reported a drop in sales of as much as 46 per cent and next month’s Chelsea Flower Show could also be badly hit with some growers and designers struggling to get plants ready in time.
How has the poor weather affected what you grow in your garden? Are you worried some of your most loved foods will be in high demand?

Have you ever worried about getting an injury from food?

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“We may find in the long run that tinned food is a deadlier weapon than the machine-gun.” – George Orwell.
We all know the enjoyment and pleasure food can give us. But did you ever consider food as a dangerous weapon?
An Essex school just last week banned triangular shaped flap jacks after they caused injury to a pupil.
A boy was hit in the face by a flapjack resulting in the school leading a review into the texture and shape of the flap jacks.
Understandably health and safety executives deemed the decision as absurd stating that the issue was the fact pupils were throwing food at each other not the shape of the flapjack.

Now as if this incident wasn’t bizarre enough, spare a thought for a family in New Zealand.
The Kiwis like to deep fry turkeys but this risky method can often back fire, literally!
A mother and father were away for a weekend, leaving their son in charge of the house. He spied a chicken in the freezer so decided to invite some friends round and fry it up.
As they sat having a few beers in the garden they stuck the chicken in to cook, a few minutes later they heard a boom.
The chicken had exploded and a fireball of meat shot through the air smashing the nearby house window and setting fire to the curtains.
Needless to say the local fire brigade weren’t too impressed as he explained what had happened, never mind his parents.
In New Zealand its estimated that more than 1000 major fires have been caused by exploding turkeys.
And watch out for out of date biscuits. A man ate a ginger nut that he later found out had spent five years in his cupboard. Thinking it would be soft the man bit into the biscuit but instead dislocated his jaw much to the bemusement of staff at the local accident and emergency!
Have you or your friends been involved in any bizarre food injury incidents?
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How the loss of wild bees and other pollinators could affect our food

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“It’s difficult to think anything but pleasant thoughts while eating a homegrown tomato.” – Lewis Grizzard

You might be forgiven for wondering what impact the decline of wild bees could have on food produced at the Speyside Specialities plant in Buckie.
But the role of the six legged insect in the food chain is of far more importance than you could ever imagine.
Without their pivotal role in the pollination of crops many of the ingredients we need to create our produce would be lost.

Did you know that more than three quarters of global food crops need pollination to survive?
Scientists recently studied the pollination of more than 40 crops in 600 fields across every populated continent and discovered wild pollinators were twice as effective as honeybees in producing seeds and fruit on crops including oilseed rape, coffee, onions and tomatoes.
Trucking in of managed honeybee hives didn’t replace wild pollination when these pollinators were lost.
The decline of honeybee colonies due to disease and pesticides has lead to concern from food scientists.
If they were to die out completely the agricultural demands of the growing human population would never be met.
An industry study recently published revealed that more than half of the wild bee species were lost in the 20th century in the US.
This is in part due to widespread forests being reduced to the fragments that remain today.
So what is being done to help save bees and similar wild insects?
People are being encouraged to stop using pesticides, plant bee friendly plants, and to support or even become a beekeeper themselves.
What food would you miss the most if it wasn’t on your shelves?
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Welcome to Speyside Specialities

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“One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating.”
To quote the late Luciano Pavarotti, there truly is nothing better than devoting time, love and care to food.
Everyone at Speyside Specialities is passionate about making sure the products you buy from us bring you an overwhelming sense of satisfaction.

This marks the first of many blogs set to grace your screens over the coming weeks and months.
We will be looking at what issues are affecting the food industry, sharing some of our favourite recipes and giving you some handy tips you to use in your very own kitchen.
We want you to get involved.
Ask us questions, share your thoughts and tell us your favourite food stories or quotes.
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