Exports of Scottish food and drink products reached a record export value of £8bn in 2022 according to the latest figures released by HMRC.
The export value of Scottish food and drink products rose by £1.9 billion compared to 2021, an increase of 30.6%, to take the value beyond pre-Covid levels. Driven by strong growth particularly in whisky, but also in other categories such as cereals, the figures demonstrate the appetite for Scottish products globally.
Despite another challenging year for the industry with cost pressures, skills shortages, and inflation, the data published today (17 March) revealed that Scottish food exports are 8.1% above the 2019 pre-Covid peak, demonstrating a faster recovery than producers in the rest of the UK, which remains -1% on 2019.
Scotch whisky exports grew by 37.2% compared to the previous year, representing £1.7 billion growth. That increased value comes largely from Asia and Oceania – Singapore, India and Taiwan in particular – but the United States remains the biggest national market for our national drink.
Iain Baxter, CEO at Scotland Food & Drink, a member of both the Scottish Government’s Ministerial Trade Board and the UK Government’s Food and Drink Export Council, said, “The latest export figures are a welcome cause for optimism amid ongoing difficult trading conditions for our industry. Scotch whisky and Scottish seafood are world famous sectors with global reputations for their quality. However, today’s data shows the breadth of the Scottish basket and the success we are seeing in overseas markets with sectors such cereals and meat securing significant export growth.
“Very few countries have the breadth of produce that Scotland offers, and we must continue to capitalise on the strength of our biggest sectors to help the smaller ones grow. Our new industry strategy, which will be published shortly, will seek to build on this success and accelerate our growth.”