John Swinney has said he would like to be involved in trade talks between the UK and US following meetings with President Donald Trump about whisky.
The First Minister has met Mr Trump numerous times this year, championing tariff relief for the Scotch whisky industry – the UK’s biggest drinks export.
Discussions remain ongoing about the imposition of a 10% tariff on exports from the UK to the US, a result of Mr Trump’s desire for the levies.
Speaking to the US president earlier this year during a visit to Scotland, Mr Swinney put the issue of the Scotch industry on the table, with Mr Trump saying he “didn’t know whisky was a problem”, but appearing open to moving on the issue.
Speaking to the PA news agency ahead of the SNP conference in Aberdeen, the First Minister said: “I’ve not been privy to the trade talks.
“I would like to be, because I think I’ve actually been quite helpful in all of this.
“It’s clear to me earlier on this year that whisky was not really featuring in the trade talks at all, it was not there as a principle negotiating priority for the UK Government.
“Well, I had to make sure it was, because it really matters to Scotland.”
Trade remains reserved to the UK Government and the First Minister’s visit to Washington last month was facilitated by former ambassador Lord Peter Mandelson.
Reports emerged last week that whisky could be exempted from the US tariffs, but the First Minister said he had not heard any updates.
“We’ve sought engagement with the UK Government on the trade talks and we’ve had a certain amount of information, but nothing of the detail and I have no update on the events since the last time I had interactions with the Prime Minister on the margins of the state banquet at Windsor Castle when I had the opportunity to discuss it once again with President Trump and also a number of senior members of President Trump’s administration,” he said.
The First Minister argued there was an incentive for the US to reduce tariffs, given casks used to make bourbon whiskey are sold to distilleries in Scotland to age their product, with a fall in output here meaning a decline in demand for American casks.
“That’s a very valuable trade – it’s worth 300 million dollars a year,” he said.
“When I was in the United States in early September, I talked to one of the companies producing the whiskey casks and they’re having orders cancelled from Scotland because there isn’t sufficient production in Scotland to merit the casks coming from the United States.
“So, if we just were to take all of this out of the trade talks to say ‘let’s have zero for zero’, we would see an improvement in the fortunes for Scotch whisky and we’d see an improvement in the fortunes for, principally, interests in the state of Kentucky and the Kentucky bourbon industry.”
A spokeswoman for the UK Government said: “We have always used our trade agenda to promote our world-class Scotch whisky industry, by continually engaging with the US on the issue and securing significant tariffs cuts in our other trade deals like with India.
“Our deal in May secured preferential access to Scotch whisky to the US market compared with other major economies.
“We continue to work to ensure this deal protects British jobs and exports as part of our Plan for Change.”
