Mainstay Scottish food and drink exports to the EU have been hammered in the first quarter of trading since Boris Johnson’s hard Brexit, new figures show.
Analysis from the Food and Drink Federation (FDF) reveals EU sales dropped by overall 47 per cent in the first three months of 2021 to a ten year low - causing a loss of £2billion to the UK economy.
But the hit on Scottish exports has been dramatic with figures showing that fish exports, which were subject to massive bureaucratic delays at channel ports when Brexit rules came in, have more than halved.
The figures show fish exports, most of which are landed in Scotland, are down 51.7 per cent.
Farmed salmon, another major Scottish export to the EU, was down 19.7 per cent and whisky a massive 32.3 per cent.
Lamb suffered a 14.3 per cent drop and cheese exports were almost wiped out suffering a 71.7 per cent loss.
Sales fell across Europe, with exports to Ireland down 70 per cent, Spain 62 per cent , Italy down 61 per cent and Germany down 55 per cent.
Sales to non-EU countries made up 55 per cent of all UK food and drink exports in the first three months of 2021 compared to less than 40 per cent a year earlier, according to the data.
However, this is not thanks to any major boom in exports to non-EU countries, which only rose by 0.3 per cent, the group said.
It means that overall exports of food and drink sunk to £3.7 billion from £5.1 billion a year earlier.
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“The loss of £2 billion of exports to the EU is a disaster for our industry, and is a very clear indication of the scale of losses that UK manufacturers face in the longer-term due to new trade barriers with the EU,” said the federation’s head of international trade Dominic Goudie.
SNP International Trade spokesperson Drew Hendry MP said: “Brexit has already cost Scotland billions of pounds and this analysis shows it will continue to hit our economy, cutting Scotland’s GDP by up to £9 billion by 2030 compared to EU membership. Boris Johnson’s hard Tory Brexit deal has been disastrous.”
Scottish politics
Hendry added: “Our food and drink industry has already suffered - with fishing communities, farmers, and businesses across Scotland losing millions of pounds in trade.
“Once the covid crisis is over, it is essential that people in Scotland have the right to determine their own future in a post-pandemic independence referendum, so we can regain the benefits of EU membership and build a strong, fair and equal recovery that meets Scotland’s needs.”
