Scottish salmon was the UK’s biggest food export in 2022, new HMRC figures have confirmed.
Sales of the fish reached £578 million in the last calendar year, with France leading the demand.
In total, Scottish salmon was exported to 54 countries, with North America and Asia reporting strong demand.
Overseas Scottish salmon sales outperformed all the UK’s other main food exports including bakery goods, chocolate, cheese, cereals and lamb.
However, the latest salmon export sales were down 6% on 2021 (£614 million), while the volume of fish transported overseas fell by 26%.
According to industry body Salmon Scotland, the latter reflected tight supplies globally and that more Scottish salmon is being sold in the UK domestic market, which is valued at around £1.2 billion-a-year.
“Scottish salmon is an extraordinary global success story that we can all be immensely proud of, supporting thousands of jobs and contributing hundreds of millions of pounds to the UK economy,” Salmon Scotland Chief Executive Tavish Scott said. “With such pressure on public services during the cost-of-living crisis, the revenue generated by our farmers has never been more important.
“Thank you to everyone involved from egg to plate for delivering such a successful year for Scottish salmon,” he said.
Scottish Rural Affairs Secretary Mairi Gougeon said it is “fantastic” to see strong sales in 2022 and that Scottish salmon is a world-renowned brand.
“That is why we are committed to our ongoing work to encourage investment in research, development and innovation in Scotland’s aquaculture sector alongside robust management measures, so that consumers can continue to have confidence in the sustainability of Scottish seafood.
“We will continue to engage with and listen to the Scottish salmon industry to understand how we can improve export opportunities and remove barriers to trade,” she said.
Separate figures from Salmon Scotland show a direct economic contribution from the sector of £303 million in Gross Value Added (GVA) in 2021, up nearly a fifth on pre-pandemic levels of £254million in 2019.
The sector also indirectly generated a further £397million in GVA through the supply chain, and a further £66 million positive impact in employment costs, taking the combined total to £766 million.
