Chivas Brothers CEO Jean-Christophe Coutures said the Scotch whisky sector needs more government support to recover from the impact of Covid-19 and transatlantic tariffs. Following the publication of Pernod Ricard’s six-month results, Chivas Brothers CEO Coutures said he would be “calling strongly for government support” at the budget meeting on March 3.

The Scotch whisky sector has been rocked by the impact of the coronavirus pandemic and US-imposed tariffs and fell to its lowest level in the last decade. Chivas Brothers’ organic sales fell 10% in the second half of 2020, with declines in markets such as France, Spain, and South Africa.

Despite the challenges faced by the sector, Coutures also highlighted the possibility of reviving the Scotch industry by improving trading relations. He cited the chance to developed better relations with the US, and the UK governments ability to develop new free trade agreements (FTA) with countries such as Australia and India.