John Swinney will be “pressing the case” for a better tariff deal for Scotch whisky in key talks in the United States on Tuesday.
The Scottish First Minister flew to Washington DC, with External Affairs Secretary Angus Robertson saying he will be “meeting the people who are going to be intimately involved in setting tariff rates” during his visit.
He said that “Scotland’s First Minister is pressing the case for one of Scotland’s most important industries”.
Mr Robertson could not say if the First Minister will get the chance to make the case for an improved deal on tariffs directly with US President Donald Trump.
“I’m not in a position to talk to you about the schedule of the First Minister’s meetings today,” he said.
Speaking on BBC Radio Scotland’s Good Morning Scotland programme, the External Affairs Secretary insisted the First Minister would be “meeting the people who are going to be intimately involved in setting tariff rates and considering whether there should be an exemption for Scotch whisky”.
He said the First Minister had made the decision to fly to the States for the visit – which is only expected to last a day – “because the industry employs thousands of people in Scotland and is one of the most important parts of our economy”.
Mr Robertson claimed the connections between Scotch and bourbon making in the US made it possible a deal could be done.
Scotch whisky can often be matured in old bourbon barrels, with Mr Robertson saying the “inextricable links” between the two industries meant there “is a general view in Washington DC that there is the potential to discuss the treatment of Scotch whisky”.
With Scotch whisky exports to the US subject to 10% tariffs, Mr Swinney, together with representatives from the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA), will meet members of the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States to push for a better deal – including potentially zero-for-zero tariffs on spirits as part of the ongoing UK-US trade negotiations.
Mr Robertson said: “This is a live conversation and the potential still exists to have an impact.
“It is in both our interests, both Scotland and the United Sates, that an exemption is secured for Scotch whisky.”
SWA director Graeme Littlejohn argued that “Scotch whisky is deserving of a special exemption from the 10% tariff which was implemented earlier this year”.
This was the message the First Minister had given to the US president when he was in Scotland recently, Mr Littlejohn added.
He said: “The Scotch whisky industry is hugely important to the economy of Scotland.
“It is strategically important to rural and island economies, and the tariffs are doing significant damage at the moment, losing the industry around £4 million a week.”
Mr Littlejohn said that SWA figures last week showed “that in the last year over 1,000 jobs in the Scotch whisky industry have been lost”, adding this was “a consequence of US tariffs and also high tax and regulations here in the UK”.
He added: “If we can get those those tariffs off in the United States by the state visit next week, using that as a catalyst for action on these tariffs, that will be a real benefit to jobs and investment here in Scotland.”
