As a farmer, Jamie Wyllie is used to getting by on little sleep. His job requires long hours and hard graft. But now he said something else is keeping him up at night – the prospect of the Scottish government introducing price caps for some essential food items.
Ministers say that the big supermarket chains will take the financial hit, insisting "bold action" is needed to help households. But Wyllie's fear is that the costs will get passed down the production chain, and ultimately come to rest with his family farm which is making "little to no margin as it is". Wyllie is an office holder in the National Union of Farmers in Scotland, so is in regular contact with fellow farmers.
And they're not the only interested parties who have expressed concerns. Just last week 23 organisations wrote to the first minister to call on him to ditch the policy. Business groups urge Swinney to scrap 'ineffective' food price cap plan Swinney's 100-day push gives way to bigger battles ahead How much should we be prepared to pay for our food?
So what exactly is the Scottish government proposing? They want to see a price cap implemented for up to 50 essential items, such as milk, eggs, cheese and rice. Large supermarkets would be expected to offer at least one variety of these items at a capped cost.
If they sold out of that, they could then be required to offer another similar product at the same price. John Swinney has previously said he has a "public health responsibility" to ensure that people can afford a healthy basket of goods. And he's well aware that many families are struggling with the basics due to cost of living increases.
Beyond the four staple items the first minister has identified, we don't know what food products he has in mind. And we don't know what prices they would potentially be capped at. The policy is currently out for consultation, allowing interested parties to give their views.
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