Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme, where shoppers will pay a 20 pence deposit on drinks that come in a single-use container made of plastic, steel, aluminium, or glass, is set to go live on 16 August, with producers expected to register for the scheme by next week. The scheme has come under widespread criticism as it is feared that it’ll cause price hikes and reduce consumer choice, with some producers outside Scotland already ceasing imports. Just this week,Fergus Ewing, SNP MSP for Nairn and Inverness, called the DRS a ‘disaster’, and a Scottish lawyer claimed that the scheme could create an unlawful trade barrier with the rest of the UK. With all this going on, what’s the reality of other UK businesses stopping their products being sold in Scotland?

Manchester-based Chris Jones, who is the manager director of Paragon Brands, which distributes drinks brands from around the world into the UK, said that they have already stopped their beers being sold in Scotland. He said: “One of the brands within our portfolio is a beer we make ourselves and which sells in multiple countries. We’ve taken the decision to withdraw the beer from Scotland. So while we’re going to continue with it on draft format, because it’s in a recyclable 50 litre keg, the cans and bottles, we’re going to withdraw from the Scottish market.”

Want to see more SNP fails? – Health Matters