Red letter day: Scottish salmon celebrates 30 years of Label Rouge
Scotland’s salmon industry is celebrating 30 years of holding the prestigious Label Rouge quality mark in France.
Label Rouge is France’s official recognition of the superior quality of a food or farmed product, and Label Rouge salmon are produced under stringent standards from producers’ group Scottish Quality Salmon.
Scottish salmon was both the first fish and first non-French product to be awarded the accolade in 1992 and has held it ever since.
£304m in 2021
France is the top export destination for Scottish salmon, with figures from Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) showing that a record 53,500 tonnes of head-on gutted fresh salmon worth more than £304 million was exported to the country last year, accounting for 50% of the value of all UK salmon exports.
Although some of that fish is further processed in France and exported to other countries, much of it ends up on French plates.
“For Scottish salmon to achieve three decades of Label Rouge is a significant milestone and I would like to congratulate everyone involved in securing and retaining this quality mark,” said Scottish rural affairs secretary Mairi Gougeon.
“Label Rouge is achieved only after produce has passed an extremely stringent set of standards and it is testament to the consistently high quality of Scottish salmon which last year saw exports to the French market of more than £304 million. I am sure the popularity of this iconic product among French consumers will continue.”
Salmon, whisky and rugby
The 30th anniversary will be marked this weekend with a visit to Scotland by leading importers and processors from Boulogne Sur Mer and Rungis Market, the largest wholesale food market in the world, situated on the outskirts of Paris.
The guests will visit one of the Scottish Salmon Company’s Loch Fyne salmon farms, the Johnnie Walker Experience in Edinburgh, and attend the Scotland v France Six Nations rugby union match at Murrayfield, Edinburgh.
A series of further celebrations are planned throughout 2022.
‘Unrivalled quality’
Tavish Scott, chief executive of salmon sector trade body Salmon Scotland, said: “Scottish salmon is an international success story and France is our most important export market, delivering hundreds of millions of pounds for the Scottish economy and generating hundreds of jobs.
“We can help lead the UK’s economic recovery, but while the quality of Scottish salmon is unrivalled, other countries are increasing supply and growing their international market share - so we must work tirelessly to maintain Scotland’s market competitiveness.”
