A second phase of the Scotland Food & Drink Export Plan aims to help the industry double turnover value to £30 billion by 2030.

The Food and Drink Export Plan is supported by £4.5 million of joint funding from the Scottish Government, industry and Scottish Development International.

The funding will help Scottish companies take their products into new and existing markets, and ‘in-market specialists’ will be employed to offer expert advice, forge stronger relationships with buyers and encourage Scottish businesses to develop new products.

“Scotland’s food and drink sector has grown year on year, increasing by 78% since 2007.  Last year exports reached a record level of £6.3 billion, which is in part thanks to the success of the first phase of the export plan,” said Rural Economy Secretary Fergus Ewing.

“This is a hugely exciting time for the sector and I’m confident that government and industry will continue to work together successfully to identify new opportunities for Scotland, with the clear strategy set out by this latest plan.

“The need to explore and exploit international markets could not be clearer, given the current uncertainty around our future trading relationship with Europe – our single largest market, which is eight times larger than the UK market alone.”

The Scottish Food and Drink Export Plan is backed by £2.7 million of funding from the Scottish Government, with a further £900,000 from Scottish Development International, and £900,000 million from industry.

This second phase of the plan will last from 2019 to 2024.