In 1992, Scottish salmon was the first non-French product to be awarded the Label Rouge quality mark, the official endorsement by the French authorities of the superior quality and taste. In 2004, Scottish salmon gained Protected Geographical Indication status (PGI) granted by the European Union.
Despite an initial hammering caused by confusion and uncertainty surrounding Brexit, seafood exporters are bouncing back, with Scottish salmon becoming the largest food export from the Kingdom. While down by 2% from the record 2019 sales value of 529 million, Scottish salmon exports in 2022 totaled EUR 506 million, to surpass export value of any other UK food product. Salmon was shipped to some 54 countries, with France receiving the most, although that includes some product moving further to other EU markets. Overall, sales to the EU were 64% of the export total, with strong markets in the U.S. and in Asia. Farmed salmon is big business in Scotland, supporting 2,500 jobs directly and an additional 10,000 jobs in related industries. However, these jobs did not benefit from growth in export value, because volume declined sharply (-26%) from 2019 levels, due to the various difficulties faced by the seafood industry in recent years.