The Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee were out and about on Thursday visiting Macsweens Haggis to hear from the business about their experience of how the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) is working.
Alexander Stewart MSP deputy convener of the committee said: “The committee are looking at the arrangements for the EU and UK cooperation with trade since Brexit.
“Macsween’s was one of the companies that was on our roundtable a few weeks ago and as a famous Scottish manufacturer of haggis and black pudding since the 1950s, they are very much involved in producing and distributing their product throughout the United Kingdom, but also throughout other parts of Europe.”
James Macsween of Macsween of Edinburgh said: “The main barriers will be the cost or the additional cost and burden that’s been put into the supply chain. We were already exporting to other countries outside Europe. So we already had a really good head start on how to comply with the changes that we were going to be subjected to because of Brexit.
“But your now having to fill out an export health certificate to send foods into Europe. Pre-Brexit, you used to put an order on a lorry that would go to Germany and it would arrive two or three days later and you were able to use the same product codes, the same invoicing, the same paperwork and the same process as if it was going to London, as if it was going to Frankfurt.
“Unfortunately, that’s now not the case.
“I would like to see a fairer and more level playing field on trade and to try and get back to where we were on the free movement of goods that we did have before Brexit.”
Next week the committee will visit Aldomak Ltd, a Glasgow-based confectionary manufacturer, as part of its ongoing inquiry.
Committee Convener, Clare Adamson MSP said: “We are delighted to be visiting Aldomak Ltd as part of our inquiry into the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement.
“Gathering first-hand insights from businesses like Aldomak is crucial for us to understand the real impact of the TCA on Scotland’s trade with the EU.
“This visit will enable us to explore potential areas for improvement within the current arrangements which could enhance trade relations between Scotland and Europe and perhaps also identify some areas of the TCA that may benefit from amendment by the review.”
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