Less salmon to sell this year.
The value of salmon exported from Scotland in 2018 was GPB 505 million, 16% less than the year before, according to new figures from HM Revenue and Customs.
The year was competing against 2017, when the highest ever value for Scottish salmon exports were recorded at GPB 600 million, up 35% compared to 2016.
The Scottish industry had 18.9% decrease in export volumes from 92,350 tonnes to 74,816 tonnes, caused by decreased harvests. In 2018, the industry reported a difficult start to the year, initially forecasting an 11-13%% drop in production for 2018.
The US remains Scotland’s biggest customer and it imported 19,298 tonnes of salmon to the tune of GPB 139 million.
A spokesperson from SSPO emailed SalmonBusiness with the following:
“Export figures for 2018 follow the trend set in 2016 with the EU, USA and Far East continuing to be important markets for Scottish salmon. 2017 was an exceptional year for exports and exceeded all previous records due to favourable market conditions as Chile experienced supply issues. However, overall exports of Scottish salmon continue to do well and are a significant part of the Scottish food and drink export strategy.”
