£3m grants provide food for thought

FOOD and drink firms throughout the country are set to share in £3 million of grants from the Scottish Government to help boost their businesses.

A total of 22 companies will benefit from the latest round of funding from the food processing, marketing and co-operation (FPMC) scheme.

Berwickshire-based vegetable producer R & K Drysdale has netted 647,000 towards the cost of a 1.6m Brussel sprout processing, packing and storage facility and processing line.

Mackies at Taypack - the crisp-making joint venture between ice cream manufacturer Mackie's and potato giant Taypack - will receive two grants totalling 527,000 to help with building improvements and marketing.

Macphie of Glenbervie, which makes own-label products for supermarkets, has been given 126,000 for new equipment.

Meanwhile, 179,000 is going to Perthshire-based Simon Howie Butchers to help install an automatic bacon slicer and packaging line.

More than 25m has been awarded from the FPMC scheme, which the Scottish Government claimed had secured or created 5,500 jobs.

Rural affairs secretary Richard Lochhead said: "Some of our biggest opportunities lie in the food and drink sector, which saw sales increase by 1 billion in 2007-8 to 11.2bn.

"With demand for food on the increase, Scotland's food producers are in a strong position."