King of fish is a big Scots earner

SALMON: Tops UK food exports leaderboard with sales of £600m

Scottish farmed salmon graces tables from Shanghai to Los Angeles.

It remains the most popular fish in supermarket trolleys in the UK, though demand overseas has taken it to the top of Scotland’s and the UK’S food export leaderboard with overseas sales of £600 million in 2017.

International demand for Scottish salmon represents an export and economic success story, and is an accolade for fish farmers in some of Scotland’s most remote rural areas.

Their hard work rearing highquality salmon is recognised and applauded by retailers and restaurants around the world.

It makes Scottish salmon one of Scotland and the UK’S most local global sectors.

Sold in over 50 countries, nearly 94,000 tonnes of farmed salmon were exported last year.

The US is the biggest single export market worth £193m, followed by France with sales of £191m.

China and the growing middle classes of countries in the Far East have also shown a notable appetite for our Scottish salmon, with £69m worth of exports going to China alone in 2017.

The salmon farming sector here in Scotland might be only the world’s third largest producer behind Norway and Chile, but Scottish salmon has a reputation as a premium product around the globe for its taste, quality and texture.

Forty per cent of Scottish salmon exports by value are sold in the EU.

The industry and its logistical supply chain needs sufficient time to prepare for the practical changes that Brexit might herald in trading arrangements and ensure there are no bottlenecks in getting fresh salmon to the European market.

Beyond Europe, expansion of global markets remain firmly in the industry’s sights and the industry is well placed to build on its global export success that is so important for rural Scotland.

Julie Hesketh-laird is CEO of the Perth-based Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation.