TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Whisky industry worth billions to British economy: Report
Britain's whisky trade is worth over £5 billion (US$7
Change Size
B
ritain'swhisky trade is worth over £5 billion (US$7.6 billion) to the economy each yearand provides over 40,000 jobs, according to a study released on Wednesday.
The report by the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) found that despite a slowdown in exports, billions of bottles of whisky were sold globally each year.
"Scotch whisky must be recognized as a cultural asset that boosts growth and jobs, supports communities and combines the best of the traditional and the modern," said SWA chief executive David Frost.
A statement from the British treasury called whisky "a huge British success story".
Frost called for a two percent cut on whisky duties in the government's budget out in March. The government responded by arguing it had already helped by freezing taxes on whisky and other spirits in 2014.
The report found the whisky industry was worth £3.3 billion to the British economy, with its supply chain, packaging, and distribution worth another £1.8 billion.
The industry employs 10,900 people in manufacturing and distilleries, and supports about 30,000 jobs in its supply chain, the report found.
The whisky industry also accounted for three quarters of Scotland's food and drink exports, and the report stressed the importance of the trade as an employer in more rural areas. (+++++)
