Thursday 4th September marks the start of the keenly awaited 5 day International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ) 2014 Congress.
‘Innovations from a Small Island' - organised by the British Guild of Agricultural Journalists (BGAJ) - will showcase British food and farming. Held in Scotland for the first time since 1984, it provides an excellent opportunity to demonstrate Britain’s food and farming sector to the world.
Following months of preparation, 210 delegates, from 37 countries – including India, the Americas, Africa, Australasia and South East Asia and Europe - have arrived at the Aberdeen based event.
"We cannot overestimate the potential value of this event to promote the great strengths of British food production to our visitors,” explains Jane Craigie, Chairman of the BGAJ. “As well as the region's unique and highly exportable food and drink brands - such as Scotch Beef and malt whisky – visitors will experience our heritage and culture. Delegates are arriving from all over the globe, giving us an estimated audience of over 40 million readers, listeners and viewers across the world."
Fifty of the delegates have arrived early for a pre-Congress tour taking in Kew’s globally important Millenium Seed Bank, the Leckford Estate in Hampshire, where one of the main congress sponsors Waitrose hosted an event at the farm shop that now sells over 1,000 products, most regionally sourced, and an early-morning visit to Smithfield Market in London where they enjoyed the delights of a ‘full English’ breakfast.
Delegates will have ample opportunity to sample some of Scotland’s most famous wares with Congress expecting to serve approximately 400kg of Scotch Beef, 50 haggis, 160kg Scotch Lamb with drams of Glenlivet, Glen Garioch and GlenDronach whisky to follow.
Delegates have a packed five days in prospect including visits to many family owned businesses – including Mackintosh of Gelndaveny and Mackies of Scotland who now export to South Korea, China, USA and Japan. A packed programme presenting leading speakers and key agribusiness representatives will culminate with a presentation by the First Minister who is due to speak to the delegates on the final night dinner at Raemoir House Hotel.
