Scotch industry urges UK-Scottish partnership

The Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) has called for the Scottish and UK governments to work together in fostering a “dynamic and competitive” Scotch business.

The UK and Scottish governments should work together to foster growth of Scotch whisky, the SWA has argued

During the SWA’s annual Members’ Day conference in Edinburgh earlier this week, attended by almost 200 people, producers across the industry discussed how Scotch whisky can succeed in an increasingly competitive environment.

The SWA urged members of Scottish parliament (MSPs) and the Scottish government to work in partnership with Scotch whisky to “build an ambitious vision for the Scottish economy”.

“The current slowdown in Scottish economic indicators is troubling,” said David Frost, chief executive of the SWA. “To get growth to resume, we call on the Scottish Government to set an explicit policy goal that Scotland should be at least as competitive as the rest of the UK – ideally more so – and to use the new devolved powers with this in mind.

“This must include a balanced approach to taxation and sustained investment in infrastructure and connectivity.”

Earlier this month, the SWA released data confirming that Scotch whisky exports had dipped for a third consecutive year, however the decline slowed to -2.4% in value to £3.86 billion.

“We also need the Scottish and UK governments to work together to foster a dynamic and competitive business environment in Scotland,” continued Frost.

“The Scotch whisky industry is ready to work with both, and our existing work on boosting exports, developing skills, and achieving demanding environmental targets already shows what can be achieved through partnership.”

According to the SWA, Scotch whisky is the single largest net contributor to the UK’s balance of trade in goods.