Celebrating Scotland’s Food and Drink Sector

Rural Affairs Secretary Mairi Gougeon has praised Scotland’s food and drink sector in a St Andrews Day letter to producers and businesses.

She wrote:

“Scotland’s food and drink sector is worth £15 billion to our economy, supports thousands of jobs and businesses and is a success story at home and internationally.

“That is something worth celebrating this St Andrew’s Day and I know that many people in Scotland and all around the world will be marking their own celebrations of our national day with some of our great food and drink produce.

Ms Gougeon acknowledged that industry faced a challenging year and highlighted the continued appeal of Scottish products in foreign markets.

“There is no doubt that the sector has borne the brunt of an array of significant challenges in recent years. Brexit has created serious, long-term harms, including labour shortages, new trade barriers for exporters, whilst also driving up inflation in food and supply chain costs.  The sector has repeatedly had to respond and adapt as a result.

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