HMRC figures for Scottish salmon exports to the EU in January are “very, very wrong”, according to an industry body.
The Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation (SSPO) said the Treasury figures for January underestimated exports by much as 97%, making it “impossible” to judge the impact of Brexit.
The SSPO told Westminster’s Scottish Affairs Committee it believed more salmon had been exported than in January last year.
New post-Brexit rules came into force on January 1 with red tape causing delays for some in the seafood sector who usually export to Europe.
Hamish MacDonnell, director of strategic engagement at the SSPO, told MPs on the committee the HMRC figures were “not just wrong, they were very, very wrong”.