I apologise for being late to the chamber.

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what assessment it has made of the impact of Brexit on Scotland’s food and drink sector. (S6O-03783)

The easy answer is that it has been very bad. The food and drink sector has undoubtedly borne the brunt of Brexit, which has disrupted supply chains, created new trade barriers and driven up food prices.

The value of food imports from the European Union into Scotland fell by 13 per cent in 2023 compared with 2019. That slowdown is particularly acute for fruit and vegetable imports, which are down 51 per cent, and for fish and seafood imports, which are down 67 per cent. Many Scottish food industries are also suffering from lower exports to the EU, including a 45 per cent fall in the value of fruit and vegetable exports between 2019 and 2023.

The Association of Independent Meat Suppliers—AIMS—has warned that failures in

“veterinary oversight and inaccuracies in certification processes are leaving UK businesses ‘at risk of economic loss, waste and an increasingly unmanageable burden of bureaucracy’.”

We know that the way back to the full benefits of the EU is with independence, but the Tories promised fewer trade barriers, no diminution of food standards and lower costs, while Labour remained silent on Brexit.

Does the Minister agree that the United Kingdom Government must seek a new deal with the EU that reflects the wishes of the people of Scotland and gives us the benefits that are enjoyed by our Northern Ireland counterparts?

I absolutely agree, and the Scottish National Party is the only party in Scotland to advocate for rejoining the EU, not least to remove the harms from Brexit, such as the one that Clare Adamson has highlighted.

The new immigration rules have imposed a minimum salary for veterinarians, who now require skilled worker visas. That obviously adds costs and will potentially impact on recruitment.

Although we continue to work across the Government, we also continue to call for negotiation between the EU and the UK on a veterinary and sanitary and phytosanitary agreement, which would remove many Brexit barriers and, therefore, benefit our businesses and consumers. It is our view that any such agreement should be comprehensive—it should be broad and deep—because that would offer the most benefits for Scotland. Indeed, one study undertaken by Aston University estimates that such an agreement could increase agri-food exports from the UK to the EU by at least 22.5 per cent.

However, it is vital that devolved Governments are central to any negotiations. Therefore, as always, we stand ready to work collaboratively to achieve the best possible results for Scottish consumers and businesses. I hope that the UK Government is minded to do the same.

I alert members to my entry in the register of members’ interests as a small farmer.

I do not think that it is helpful to continue to talk about the negatives of Brexit when we are coming up on 10 years since the vote. Last year, a Quality Meat Scotland report revealed that red meat exports had, in fact, reached a new high of £93 million, 95 per cent of which were export revenues that were generated in the EU market. However, QMS warned in the report that those sales were being limited by reduced abattoir provision in Scotland.

Instead of talking down Brexit all the time, will the Cabinet secretary and Minister now take action to fix the abattoir shortage in Scotland?

I am afraid that I am not buying that at all. Tim Eagle talks about there having been no damage to the food and drink sector in Scotland, when it has been catastrophic.

On our ability to ensure that the Scottish abattoir sector continues to work, we are already looking at that, as the Deputy Presiding Officer knows. However, there are huge issues involved. Tim Eagle talks about abattoir provision when we cannot get vets to come here from Europe because of new, Brexit-imposed wage restrictions. I am sorry, but I do not buy his point at all.