Scotland's growing alcohol problem

Link to the article: Channel 4 News

Which is the bigger problem, the future of Scotland's favourite drink or Scotland's chronic drink problem? Girish Juneja reports.

As Scotland's historic whisky industry suffers another blow this week, with another major producer Whyte and Mackay announcing job cuts, the Scotch industry says it wants to curb goverment efforts to stop binge drinking.

Whyte and Mackay confirmed that it would shed up to one sixth of its Scottish workforce, shedding around 85 jobs.

The company, owned by an Indian billionaire, may also shed another 15 overseas sales staff.

On 26 June, 20,000 people took to the streets in Kilmarnock, Ayrshire, to protest over plans to axe 900 jobs.

Drinks giant Diageo announced plans to close the plant in the Scottish town which bottles Johnnie Walker whisky, which could lead to a loss of 700 jobs.

Another 200 jobs may be lost under plans for the company to close its Port Dundas grain distillery in Glasgow.

Diageo has said it will "offset" the closures with 400 new jobs at its Fife packaging plant. As well as the Fife expansion the drinks firm has said a coopering centre will be created in Clackmannanshire, and has stated there will be no compulsory redundancies for one year.

The Scottish government has pledged to support the distilleries, but with one of the worst alcoholism rates in Europe, critics say it is the national drink problem not the national drink which should be the priority.