Written evidence submitted by Scottish Wholesale Association (CISFL0006)
 

The Scottish Wholesale Association

The Scottish Wholesale Association (SWA) is the official trade body for Scotland’s food and drink wholesaling sector. Working with producers, retailers, hospitality and Scotland’s decision makers to create a strong, local, sustainable and resilient healthy food and drink supply chain.

The SWA have 74 wholesale members, representing 95% of the channel by sales value. SWA have an equal number of supplier members, ranging from family run single depot businesses to large household names. Our members supply customers the length and breadth of Scotland from over 120 depots, located from Orkney to the Borders.

Executive Summary
Fixed transport links - such as tunnels, bridges, and causeways - offer significant potential for enhancing the resilience, reliability and efficiency of Scotland’s food and drink supply chain to and from the islands. Many of our members, both based on the mainland and on the islands, have experienced significant disruption to deliveries due to ferry cancellations, mechanical issues, or adverse weather, resulting in delayed or missed supplies. These disruptions have a direct impact on communities, affecting access to food and drink, hospitality services, and other essential goods. Fixed links could improve operational certainty and resilience for businesses but must be considered alongside potential additional costs for users, environmental impacts, and community equity. Any UK Government initiatives must be closely coordinated with Scottish Government activity and local island priorities to ensure sustainable, fair outcomes.

Key Considerations

Strategic Benefits of Fixed Links

• Provide reliable, weather-resilient transport, reducing disruption, stock volatility, and spoilage associated with ferry dependence.
• Enable efficient logistics planning, allowing wholesalers, producers, and the end user outlets to coordinate deliveries, production schedules, and staffing more securely.
• Reduce operating costs over time by limiting the need for higher than average buffer stock, reducing turnaround times, and decreasing reliance on contingency arrangements.
• Expand market access, choice and availability for Islanders, by facilitating more consistent transport to mainland distribution centres, hospitality, and retail markets.
• Support cold-chain integrity and just-in-time delivery models, critical for perishable goods.
• Strengthen business competitiveness, attracting investment and supporting local economic development.

Risks, Challenges, and Equity Considerations

• Very high capital expenditure and long payback periods may make some fixed links economically challenging.
• Extended construction timelines create years of uncertainty and can often inhibit short term operational investment and even long-term planning by businesses.
• Potential environmental impacts, including on marine habitats and coastal geology.
• Risk of economic and social change, including tourism growth, housing pressure, greater (or reduced) demand for local amenities and service, and altered labour availability – both inbound and outbound as fixed links improve the movement of people.
• Single-point failure vulnerability: damage or closure of a tunnel or bridge could isolate communities.
• Impact on ferry employment and services, which currently support island economies.
• Equity concerns: smaller or more remote islands could be disadvantaged if fixed links only serve larger islands.
• Potential additional costs for businesses and communities using fixed links, which must be carefully considered in planning and pricing models.
• Community impact: delays or disruptions in food and drink supply affect not only island businesses but also local residents and hospitality sectors, highlighting the importance of reliable, accessible transport for social as well as economic reasons.
• Consideration of the additional amenities and refuelling infrastructure must be considered to ensure capability of service(s) to those supplying onto, or visiting, the islands through the fixed links.

Scottish Wholesale Association Position

1. Support for Reliable Connectivity
   The Scottish Wholesale Association supports the principle of improved transport connectivity for island communities, recognising the operational benefits for food and drink businesses.
2. Route-by-Route, Evidence-Based Assessment
   We call for detailed feasibility studies considering supply-chain demand, construction cost, environmental impact, community equity, and potential additional user costs.
3. Parallel Investment in Ferries and Island Infrastructure
   Any fixed-link development must be accompanied by continued investment in ferry networks and local infrastructure to ensure equitable access for all islands.
4. Business Engagement
   Ensure island and affected mainland-based businesses are represented in planning, reflecting real supply-chain requirements.
5. Coordination Across Governments
   UK Government initiatives must work in close coordination with Scottish Government policy and take full account of island community needs to avoid duplication, inefficiency, or unintended consequences.
6. Balanced, Evidence-Led Policy
   Support a pragmatic, evidence-based approach, ensuring fixed links are pursued where they deliver long-term value, reliability, and fairness.

Wider Regional Connectivity

Connectivity challenges extend beyond the islands, with areas such as the Highlands facing comparable issues of remoteness, weather disruption, and limited transport resilience. We therefore support any fixed-link discussion being framed within the wider, Scotland-wide connectivity strategy, ensuring that all remote regions benefit from evidence-led investment.

Conclusion
The Scottish Wholesale Association believes that fixed transport links, carefully assessed and implemented alongside ferry and infrastructure improvements, could significantly enhance supply-chain resilience and economic opportunity for island-based food and drink businesses.

However, they must be developed in a way that is equitable, coordinated across governments, and sensitive to community, environmental, and cost considerations. Reliable connectivity is vital not only for businesses but for island communities’ access to essential food, drink, and hospitality services, and we urge policymakers to adopt a measured, evidence-based approach.

December 2025

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