SIR, In the year of Scotland’s food and drink, it’s encouraging that farmers gathering at the Royal Highland Show have emphasised to Scottish Secretary David Mundell their support for the UK’s continuing membership of the European Union.

Looking at the most recent figures, the growth in food and drink exports to other EU member states is a genuine success story for the Scottish economy.

France is the second largest export market for Scottish food and drink, valued at £734 million in 2014. Spain is now ranked third with exports totalling £247 million while Germany emerges as the fifth biggest market with annual exports of £208 million.

Sales to these three EU member states alone made up almost one quarter of total food and drink exports from Scotland last year.

Against that backdrop, it’s clear that withdrawing from the EU would be hugely damaging to Scottish farming and the wider food and drink industry. As NFU Scotland have pointed out, we would still have to comply with EU rules to be able to keep selling our produce to these lucrative markets. But we would have no say in how those rules are decided.

I am, etc.

Derek Hammersley, Chair European Movement in Scotland Edinburgh