Scotland’s dairy and egg exports show good growth

The value of Scotland’s dairy and egg exports combined rose 77% from £49.5m to £87.1m between 2007 and 2014, according to the Scottish government.

Speaking ahead of a visit to Anuga, the world’s largest food and drink trade show, Scotland’s rural affairs secretary Richard Lochhead said the figures showed great promise for the future of dairy.

The three biggest export markets for dairy and eggs are France, Germany and the Netherlands.

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The export value for France rose from £3.8m in 2007 to £19.5m in 2014, Germany increased from £3.1m to £14.5m and the Netherlands rose from £5.7m to £15.1m in the same period.

“The Scottish dairy sector can benefit from the growing global appetite for premium Scottish produce with unrivalled provenance,” said Mr Lochhead.

“Exports of dairy and eggs have enjoyed exceptional success but we need to do more to crack the international market. As Scotland celebrates the Year of Food and Drink, I want to see more done to raise awareness of our delicious dairy produce, such as cheese and butter, among buyers and consumers overseas.

“I am particularly impressed with the increase we’ve witnessed in dairy and egg exports to France – a staggering 406% since 2007.”

A Scottish dairy brand complete with a new marque will be launched at Anuga later on Monday (12 October).

The logo will be added to products such as cheese and butter to help retailers and overseas buyers boost the profile of Scottish dairy produce.