Rural Payments and Services

Producers of iconic food and drink win share of £10 million.

A new £10 million funding package will allow food and drink companies to upgrade facilities and is expected to generate additional investment of up to £52 million, Food Secretary Richard Lochhead has announced.

On a visit to Macsween of Edinburgh, Mr Lochhead revealed that the leading haggis producer is amongst the companies awarded grants from the latest round of the Food Processing, Marketing and Co-operation (FPMC) scheme.

The funding, over three years, will help businesses throughout Scotland improve, extend or build new facilities – contributing to the massive success of Scotland’s £14 billion food and drink growth sector.

The grants announced today are:

• Macsween of Edinburgh – up to £114,534 for new equipment to expand production;
• Drimnin Distillery, Highland – up to £513,322 towards building a new distillery;
• KIC Holdings/ Morrison & Mackay, Perth and Kinross – up to £433,689 for a new distillery;
• Harviestoun Brewery, Clackmannanshire – up to £25,408 for a kegging and bottling unit;
• Roddenloft Brewery, East Ayrshire – up to £10,484 towards the cost of a new warehouse.

Mr Lochhead said:

“Scots and many others with a connection to Scotland will be celebrating Burns Night with traditional haggis and a dram – making this the ideal time to announce these first awards under our new food grants scheme.

“Scotland’s iconic food and drink sector is already the toast of the Scottish economy, with phenomenal growth and turnover now exceeding £14 billion. This huge success has been fuelled by the global appetite for our iconic products, such as haggis and whisky - and the unwavering support of the Scottish Government and all our agencies.

“This £10 million funding over three years is expected to generate additional investment of almost £52 million into our food and drink sector and builds on the achievements of our last funding programme. It supported more than 170 projects between 2007 and 2013, with our £47 million investment levering in £114 million of private sector funding and safeguarding or creating about 8,500 jobs. I look forward to seeing similar success this time round as we journey to becoming a Good Food Nation.”

James Macsween, Managing Director of Macsween of Edinburgh, said:

“Haggis is Scotland’s national dish and is hugely popular at home and abroad – especially for Burns Night. The equipment this funding will enable us to buy and install will allow us to expand our operations and prepare for the US market opening to haggis in the future.”