Paris gets a taste of Scottish salmon
Salmon was at the centre of an early St Andrew’s Day celebration in Paris yesterday.
Scottish Rural Affairs Secretary Mairi Gougeon was joined by acclaimed chef Hirose Abe and Tavish Scott, Chief Executive of industry body Salmon Scotland at the British Embassy for a celebration of Scottish food and drink.
The event also marked the 30th anniversary this year of Scottish salmon achieving the coveted “Label Rouge” designation in France, which recognises farmed or food products of superior quality.
The French market for Scottish salmon has boomed in recent years, with exports up from £221m in 2019 to a record £304m last year. France now accounts for half of the value of all the UK’s salmon exports.
Mairi Gougeon said: “This week as we celebrate all that Scotland has to offer on our national holiday, St Andrew’s Day, it is fitting that the Scottish salmon success story is high up on the agenda.
“I was pleased to be in Paris to continue the close collaboration between the governments of Scotland and France and to consider ways in which we can support exports of salmon to the EU and France, in particular.”
Tavish Scott said salmon companies have “overcome the new bureaucratic difficulties” caused by Brexit to bring salmon to France “as quickly and efficiently as possible”.
He added: “These days Scotland and France collaborate in products and markets, and we are immensely proud to be at the heart of this new ‘Auld Alliance gastronomique’.”
