• Text size
  • Send this article to a friend
  • Print this article

New licensing laws pose a threat to small businesses

Scotland’s tourism minister has been accused of hypocrisy for launching a national year of food and drink at the same time as new licensing laws make it impossible for many businesses to serve guests beer and whisky.

The owner of the Isle of Skye Brewery, one of a dwindling number of small-scale producers, said the “scattergun approach” of licensing chiefs was threatening to pull the rug out from under the national tourism industry.