Preparations for a formal audit visit by US inspectors as part of a bid to get Scottish red meat back into the US market are well underway.

Food Secretary Richard Lochhead is keen to see Scotch beef make its way back across the pond during Scotlands Year of Food and Drink.

He says, "Scotch beef is recognised as a premium product around the globe and in demand all over the world – so it is unfortunate that so many Scots, and Americans with Scottish heritage, living in the USA cannot get their teeth into a succulent Scotch steak.

"I am looking forward to Scotland hosting a formal audit mission from the US authorities in the first half of this year, which should enable the importation of Scotch beef to recommence. Im also optimistic that this will help to pave the way for the resumption of imports of other iconic Scottish products such as haggis and Scotch lamb."

There have been BSE related restrictions on red meat imports from the UK since 1989, with bans on imports from all member states in the EU since 1997.

In November 2013, the US formally lifted its BSE import restrictions on the whole of the EU – however, before any member state can start to export its red meat into the US market, each country has to individually agree, with the US, equivalence status for their food safety controls. The forthcoming audit in Scotland and the rest of the UK aims to achieve this.