Massachusetts Gov. Healey calls haggis executive order a 'joke' amid Scotland's World Cup takeover

Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald on Jun 18, 2026

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

BOSTON — Off-sides!

Gov. Maura Healey has apologized for the confusion she sparked when she signed an executive order making haggis legal in Massachusetts, which she said was entirely a “joke.”

Haggis has been illegal to import or produce in the U.S. since 1971, when the U.S. Department of Agriculture classified the sheep’s lung as an “inedible and unsafe food” because of concerns over gastric fluids entering during slaughter.

That didn’t stop Healey from holding an event in her office on Wednesday, when she invited a Scottish podcaster David McIntosh Jr., to celebrate the signing of the executive order, which turned out to be just symbolic of the playful relationship between Americans and Scots.

“I have received countless messages from Massachusetts residents, Scotland supporters, legal experts, and at least one very concerned sheep regarding my order making haggis legal in Massachusetts,” the governor said in a statement on Thursday.

“After careful review by my office,” she added. “I am prepared to clarify that this was, in fact, a joke.”

STV News, Scotland’s leading commercial news broadcast company, highlighted Healey’s symbolic executive order and a petition that a Scottish butcher has launched to reinstate haggis in America.

“Scotland football fans are widely recognized as the best in the world,” a spokesperson said, per STV News, “and they are about to make the trip of a lifetime, but they’ll be doing it without access to their national dish.”

The Tartan Army has made its presence felt from Boston to Foxboro and beyond as its country won its first match last Saturday, 1-0, against Haiti and is set to return to the field on Friday versus Morocco.

“To the Scottish fans who immediately accepted the executive order as entirely reasonable government business,” Healey said in her Thursday statement, “thank you for your confidence in Massachusetts. I apologize deeply for any confusion.”

“The good news is that our admiration for Scotland remains genuine,” the governor added, “our welcome remains warm, and our enthusiasm for the World Cup remains undiminished.”