Scotland has the largest share of UK exports of food and drink products – with the industry in Scotland making up one-third of total exports out of the UK – making the sector worth £5.7billion.
A report from the Food and Drink Federation (FDF) shows Scotland’s food and drink sector has shown significant growth and is recovering from the impacts of the pandemic.
FDF has said Scotland’s industry continues to ‘punch above its weight’.
Exports of salmon increased by 20.6%, while those of whisky rose by 18.6%.
France has overtaken the US as Scotland’s biggest trading partner.
Commenting, SNP MSP Jim Fairlie said:
“Scotland’s world-renowned food and drinks sector is one of the strongest industries in the country and it only continues to go from strength-to-strength by making up a large chunk of the UK market for products like salmon and whisky.
“Despite the challenges that the pandemic and Brexit have caused businesses, they have shown they are resilient and have continued on an upward trajectory by building existing markets and finding new ones in places like China.
“Food and drink businesses in Scotland have taken a hammering from the Tories at Westminster with their disastrous Brexit and trade deals that have undercut Scotland’s high-quality product – we cannot trust the Tories to protect the future of Scotland’s food and drinks sector.
“This also shows that Scotland already has the world-class produce to compete on the world stage and why we would continue to punch above our weight as an independent country.”
