THE cost of Donald Trump's trade row whisky tariffs are revealed in a new Scottish Government paper.
Trump, who has boasted of his mother's Western Isles heritage, slapped a 25% tariff on single malt in 2019 as part of a dispute over aerospace subsidies with the EU.
The US brought in the measure as the UK was still a member of the bloc at the time.
New findings by the Scottish Government reveal Scotland sent 5 million litres less to the US over the course of a year.
Rural Affairs Secretary Mairi Gougeon said the research shows the "significant impact" that the "punitive tariffs" have had — and the Scottish Government should have a "meaningful role" in future UK trade discussions going forward.
Gougeon said: "The 25% tariff imposed on imports of single malt Scotch whisky due to the long-running trade dispute — which had nothing to do with Scottish producers — meant that Scotland was once again disproportionally hit by the UK Government’s posturing on international trade.
"America is the largest single destination for exports of Scotch whisky and we repeatedly highlighted the negative impact of this trade dispute on one of our most iconic industries which provides valuable jobs among some of our most economically fragile communities.
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"While we are pleased that the dispute and the sanctions has now been suspended, the impact on Scottish producers was significant and highlights why we should have a meaningful role in trade discussions to ensure that the interests of the Scottish economy are protected."
The tariff stayed in place from October 2019 til June this year.
In 2018, the year before the tariff was imposed, UK exports of Scotch whisky to the US were valued at just over £1 billion, with total exports that year amounting to £4.7bn.
Single malt made up more than a quarter (28%) of Scotch whisky exports for that year and one third (33%) of exports to the US.
The deal reached by the EU and America in June resulted in the five-year suspension of the tariffs that both sides had set on a catalogue of products unrelated to aviation. These include olive oil and cheese and the suspension was followed by a similar deal struck by Liz Truss with her Washington counterpart.
The Scotch Whisky Association estimated the charge lost it $850m dollars in US trade.
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