Minister to attend Brussels show

FERGUS Ewing, Scotland’s Rural Economy minister, is to address a reception in the Scottish pavilion on the first evening of Seafood Expo Global in Brussels in April.
Seafood Scotland confirmed this week that the minister will be visiting the exhibition, which runs from April 24-26, to support Scotland’s seafood companies, which will be out in force over the three days.
There will be 18 Scottish companies taking space within the national pavilion in hall nine, and a further 10 Scottish businesses will be exhibiting on separate stands, in halls five, eight and nine.
All Scotland’s main salmon producers will be in Brussels, along with representatives from the Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation, seafood suppliers, and technology companies, such as Dundee based Ace Aquatec.
The Scottish pavilion will feature a seafood bar and lounge, where Scottish seafood will be prepared and served throughout the exhibition, which is in its 26th year and is held annually in the Belgian capital.
Seafood Scotland, which is coordinating the exhibitors, will host the Tuesday night reception, and Patrick Hughes, head of Seafood Scotland, will welcome Scottish show goers and their guests.
Seafood Expo, the world’s largest seafood show, attracted record attendance last year of more than 28,500 visitors from 150 countries around the world.
The expo featured the stands of 1,859 exhibiting companies, from 79 countries. There were 73 national and regional pavilions.
Scotland’s Brexit minister, Mike Russell, visited the expo in 2017 and announced that Seafood Scotland had been awarded just under £1 million of EU funding to promote and showcase Scottish produce at key trade shows.
Picture: Fergus Ewing