Brexit has been bad news for Burns Night as the Bard’s legions of devotees across Europe are facing a haggis-free celebration.
Export restrictions make it illegal for individuals to send or take haggis to the continent, even for personal consumption.
Haggis makers say they have seen direct mail order exports blocked at the UK Border with about 50 per cent of parcels being rejected.
Supermarkets across Europe reportedly ran out of haggis supplies long before tonight’s feast, with Caledonian societies forced to resort to tinned haggis.
Producer Macsween, which sells more than two million servings of haggis each January, did its best to beat the Brexit deadline by sending out commercial shipments before Christmas last year.
Managing director James McSween said the company’s mail order partner had experienced “quite significant difficulties” exporting to individual customers, with around half of parcels rejected at the border.
He said: “On a typical Burns month we would usually see about 500 parcels going to Europe.
"This year about 150 have been sent with up to 70 not being delivered at all.”
Martin Morgan, of the Scottish Meat Wholesalers Association, said export volumes were down on previous years.
He added: “Our biggest challenge is getting consistency on how the rules are applied before the product is dispatched to Europe.”
