“If we can sell more whisky, more salmon, to a market which is so significant to us, of course we should explore an opportunity like that," said UK Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds, in an interview with Sky News.
Photo: Sky News.
The UK's new Labour government has indicated it will seek ways of increasing Scottish salmon and other food exports to the European Union - a move welcomed by sector trade body Salmon Scotland.
Speaking in an interview on 7 July with Sky News, the UK's new Business Secretary, Jonathan Reynolds, commented that “When it comes to trade, it's really about standards on food, we've got the same standards as the European Union... If we can sell more whisky, more salmon, to a market which is so significant to us, of course we should explore an opportunity like that."
He added that he believed "moving forward to... a relationship to Europe that is not determined by the internal politics of the Conservative Party is very much in the national interest in the UK.”
Reynolds' comments echoed sentiments expressed by Salmon Scotland in its own "election manifesto" for 2024, which called for a “serious, pragmatic approach to the UK’s relationship with the EU, with a clear focus on the nation’s export businesses which depend on a positive, professional relationship with France and the other countries of the EU".
In a press release, Tavish Scott, chief executive of Salmon Scotland, reiterated his belief there is "huge potential to grow Scotland’s economy by resetting the relationship with the EU and focusing on exports of world-renowned produce like Scottish salmon."
“I’m absolutely delighted that Jonathan Reynolds has immediately recognised how important this is, sending a clear signal that the new government is committed to our sector and the growth of Scottish salmon," Scott said.
“We look forward to working with the new government to promote Scotland on the global stage," he added.
In the run-up to the recent UK elections, the leader of the Scottish Labour Party, Anas Sarwar, also publicly voiced support for the salmon sector at the Aquaculture UK Conference in May, noting that "The Scottish salmon sector creates thousands of jobs and generates hundreds of millions of pounds for the economy".
