A strong performance by the whisky industry helped push Scottish food and drink exports to an all-time high last year. According to official figures, £5.4BN worth of food and drink products were exported in 2011, surpassing industry targets six years ahead of schedule. Whisky exports broke new records, increasing in value by 23% to £4.23BN. Scotland's top food and drink export markets were France and the US, with strong growth in Singapore and China. The full-year figures for food and drink exports were published by HM Revenue and Customs. They are said to "exceed all expectations," with the industry having already met its 10-year target to increase exports to £5.1BN by 2017. The US remained the biggest single market by value for whisky exports, with a 31% increase to £655M. France remained the biggest market measured by volume - up by more than 25% to £535M. Food exports increased 9% year-on-year, to a record £1.16BN, with fish and shellfish accounting for 56%.
