Scotland’s salmon farmers exported a record amount of fresh fish - up by 74% - to the European Union in the first quarter of 2021.
Figures from the Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation (SPPO) showed that 19,410 tonnes of Scottish salmon, worth more than £100m, was exported to the EU in the first quarter for this year - compared to 11,500 tonnes, valued at around £84m, during the same period last year.
However, Scotland’s salmon producers are spending an additional £200,00 a month on extra paperwork because of Brexit.
It now takes around two hours for each seafood load to be processed and given an export health certificate for transport to the EU.
Tavish Scott, chief executive of the SSPO, said that additional bureaucracy, paperwork, delays and confusion arising from Brexit have left salmon farmers incurring costs of at least £11m, but he remains confident that 2021 will be a strong year for the sector.
Scott said: "Salmon farmers remain vulnerable to the problems caused by Brexit - export volumes to the EU may well be up for the first quarter of the year, but increased delays in getting products to our EU markets have kept values low."
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