Scottish food and drink exports achieved record sales of GBP 1.4 billion (USD 1.8 million, EUR 1.6 billion) in the first quarter of this year, representing a year-on-year increase of 14 percent, with sales of whiskey and salmon driving much of the growth, new U.K. government figures show.
In total, Scottish beverage exports in the first three months of 2019 were worth GBP 1 billion (USD 1.3 billion, EUR 1.1 billion), up 16 percent on Q1 2018. Fish exports in the same period accounted for GBP 210 million (USD 267.4 million, EUR 234.8 million), while fruit and vegetables exports increased by 37 percent to GBP 21 million (USD 26.7 million, EUR 23.5 million). Dairy and egg sales rose by 24 percent to GBP 17 million (USD 21.6 million, EUR 19 million).
British whiskey sales, almost all from Scotland, rose by 19 percent, and salmon exports were up by 41 percent – the strongest growth of all the top 10 U.K. food and drink products. There was a 20 percent increase in the volume of farmed salmon exported from Scotland in the quarter.
“It’s no secret that Scotland is renowned for its high-quality food and drink, and there is even greater demand out there. Recent [Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs] statistics showed that goods exports from Scotland grew faster than any other part of the U.K. in the last financial year, now worth GBP 32.8 billion (USD 41.8 billion, EUR 36.7 billion),” said Liam Fox, the United Kingdom’s international trade secretary.
In 2018, Scotland’s food and drink exports achieved sales of GBP 6.3 billion (USD 8 billion, EUR 7 billion), with whiskey accounting for three-quarters of the total.
Total U.K. food and drink exports were worth more than GBP 22 billion (USD 28 billion, EUR 24.6 billion) last year, with products going to 217 overseas markets.
