Also in the news...
Brilliant Borders: Kenya's Customs goes digital
A new app will save time and money for big businesses and small traders alike, as a longstanding Kenya-UK partnership further improves cross-border trade.
Yorkshire family brewery taps into new export opportunities with Government guarantee
UKEF support helps Wold Top brewery to expand its exports into new markets.
Bond Support Scheme
Find out about the Bond Support Scheme - how it works, its benefits and how to apply.
UK and African business leaders arrive in Togo to create trade and investment deals
The event brings together delegations from ten African nations alongside leading UK companies and investors to advance partnerships that promote economic growth and jobs.
Countering sanctions evasion: guidance for freight and shipping
For freight forwarders, carriers, hauliers, customs intermediaries, postal and express operators, and other companies facilitating the movement of goods.
Scotland's biggest trading partner continues to be the UK
Scotland exported £51.2 billion in goods and services to the rest of the UK in 2018 – a rise of £1.2 billion.
Today’s annual export statistics from the Scottish Government show that more than 60 per cent of all Scottish exports go to England, Wales and Northern Ireland, more than the rest of the world combined, the figures reveal.
In comparison, Scotland’s exports to the EU are worth £16.1 billion, which is less than one third of value of our sales to the rest of the UK.
Total Scottish exports are estimated at £85 billion – a rise of almost three per cent, boosted by a strong performance in the food and drink sector, with whisky bringing in £4.7 billion in international exports alone.
Total international exports are valued at £33.8 billion.
Commenting on the figures, Scottish Secretary Alister Jack said:
The Scottish Government’s own figures show that Scotland’s most important trading partner is the rest of UK - worth more than three times that of trade with all 27 EU countries combined. This demonstrates, once again, that our Union is absolutely crucial to supporting jobs, businesses and prosperity across Scotland.
That is why we are against the First Minister’s demands for another independence referendum, which would put a hard border between Scotland and the rest of the UK. We will instead make 2020 a year of opportunity and growth for all parts of our country.