Food and drink companies are benefiting from a new £10 million funding package to help them upgrade facilities.

It is expected to leverage up to £52m in investment, Food Secretary Richard Lochhead has announced.

On a visit to Macsween of Edinburgh, Mr Lochhead revealed that the haggis producer is among the companies awarded grants from the latest round of the Food Processing, Marketing and Co-operation (FPMC) scheme.

The funding, over three years, will help businesses throughout Scotland improve, extend or build new facilities – contributing to the growth of Scotland’s £14 billion food and drink growth sector.

The grants will go to:

• Macsween of Edinburgh – up to £114,534 for new equipment to expand production;
• Drimnin Distillery, Highland – up to £513,322 towards building a new distillery;
• KIC Holdings/ Morrison & Mackay, Perth and Kinross – up to £433,689 for a new distillery;
• Harviestoun Brewery, Clackmannanshire – up to £25,408 for a kegging and bottling unit;
• Roddenloft Brewery, East Ayrshire – up to £10,484 towards the cost of a new warehouse.

Mr Lochhead said: “Scots and many others with a connection to Scotland will be celebrating Burns Night with traditional haggis and a dram – making this the ideal time to announce these first awards under our new food grants scheme.

“This £10 million funding over three years is expected to generate additional investment of almost £52 million into our food and drink sector and builds on the achievements of our last funding programme.

‘It supported more than 170 projects between 2007 and 2013, with our £47 million investment levering in £114 million of private sector funding and safeguarding or creating about 8,500 jobs. I look forward to seeing similar success this time round as we journey to becoming a Good Food Nation.”

James Macsween, managing director of Macsween, said: “This funding will enable us to expand our operations and prepare for the US market opening to haggis in the future.”

Photo: Richard Lochhead and James Macsween