Co-directors appointed to lead Soil Association Scotland

Soil Association has announced the appointment of Sarah Duley and David McKay to lead the charity’s work in Scotland.

Combining their strengths on areas of policy and programme development, Sarah and David will lead the Soil Association Scotland team as Co-directors to deliver change in the Scottish food system.

Soil Association charity Managing Director James Cashmore said the change demonstrated a “strategic commitment to impact”.

The charity works across the whole food, farming and land use system in Scotland, delivering joined-up solutions in policy and practice to the interlinked climate, nature and dietary health crises.

This includes the Food for Life programme, which supports Scottish local authorities and, more recently other public sector organisations, to increase the amount of freshly prepared, locally sourced, sustainable meals served, while hundreds of farmers are engaged through peer-to-peer knowledge exchange and innovation projects led by the farming and land use team.

Commenting on the new role, Sarah said: “Soil Association Scotland has a unique role in working from the ground up with everyone from public sector caterers to farmers and crofters, finding solutions to the challenges our food system is facing. I welcome the opportunity to co-lead our fantastic Scottish team, and build on our work and impact to date alongside partners across the Scottish food system.”

David added: “This is a crucial time for our work in Scotland, with a great deal of legislation and policy working its way through parliament as part of the government’s response to the climate, nature and dietary health crises. I look forward to continuing our collective efforts to enable a transition to more sustainable models of farming, food production and forestry.”