The biggest foreign buyers of Scotch beef are France, Monaco, Italy and the Netherlands, according to Quality Meat Scotland.

Together, they account for nearly two-thirds of the £50m of exports in the past year. Other destinations for Scotch beef include Austria, Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, Denmark, Sweden and Finland, who combined buy nearly £7.5m of Scottish product.

Meanwhile, sheepmeat exports from Scotland totalled £32m, with France remaining the most important destination.

The EU accounted for over 97% of all beef and lamb exports from Scotland. Export demand for fifth-quarter products generated almost £4m of revenue, which is a fall on previous years.