The Scottish Government's Brexit chief has warned that even if a Brexit deal is struck, Scottish firms and the economy will still be worse off.
Constitution secretary Mike Russell MSP said it was "beyond belief" that firms do not know what their trading arrangements will be in less than three months time.
It comes after Boris Johnson and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen agreed to "intensify" Brexit talks after meeting yesterday.
The pair acknowledged that "significant gaps remained" in the negotiations towards a trade deal, but agreed that achieving one would be a "strong basis for a strategic EU-UK relationship" going forward.
READ MORE: UK and European Commission agree to 'intensify talks' in bid to reach trade deal
Now Mr Russell has warned that even if a deal is struck, with the short amount of time left, it would still have a severe impact on Scotland's economy and business.
He has also reiterated his claims that a no-deal situation on December 31 would be "disastrous" for the country.
He said: "It is beyond belief that in the middle of a deep recession, Scottish firms still have no idea what their trading arrangements will be with the EU in less than three months’ time.
“A ‘no-deal’ would be disastrous for Scotland.
“But because of the limited ambitions of the UK Government, any agreement that is struck puts Scotland, its people and its economy, in a substantially worse position than where we are now.
“In the event of no deal, we could see tariffs on goods, which for some sectors would be crippling. Beef and lamb exports to the EU, worth £76 million in 2018/2019, would be rendered almost unviable with much of exports set to face tariffs in the region of 50 per cent to 70 per cent.”
He claimed other sectors, such as refined petroleum, leather goods and textiles could have tariffs of up to 12 per cent, and GDP would fall by ore than 6 per cent.
Mr Russell continued: "Even if the UK secures the kind of limited deal it is seeking, Scottish GDP will be 6.1% lower, that is around £9 billion, by 2030, compared to a Scotland that enjoys continued EU membership.
“If this limited deal is struck, our exporters will face significant new barriers.
" Products will have to be checked as they enter the EU, jeopardising just-in-time supply chains for exports such as seafood, worth £780 million in 2019.
“There will be extra paperwork - it has been estimated by the seafood industry that just the export health certificates for seafood alone will cost between £7 million and £15 million a year.
READ MORE: Brexit: Michael Gove warns of "one or two ups and downs" in securing a trade deal with EU
“Both a no deal or a ‘low deal’ outcome will force the people of Scotland into a position for which they did not vote: out of the Single Market, out of the Customs Union and with the end of freedom of movement – hitting jobs, lives and living standards hard.
“As a responsible Government, we will continue to do everything we can to mitigate against the consequences of the UK Government’s actions, pursued in the midst of a global pandemic.
“However we simply cannot avert every negative outcome. The Scottish Government view is clear: the best future for Scotland is to become an independent country.”
A UK Government spokesperson said: “At the end of the transition period the UK will take back control of our waters and trade, bringing huge opportunities for Scottish industries.
“More than 60 per cent of Scottish exports go to England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and so our UK Internal Market Bill will protect Scottish businesses and jobs by protecting trade between different parts of the UK, and seeing vast powers return from Brussels back to the Scottish Parliament.
"To help businesses in Scotland and across the UK get ready the UK Government is investing £705 million in jobs, infrastructure and technology at the border, providing £84 million in grants to customs intermediaries and implementing border controls in three stages to give traders time to adjust. This is in addition to our major public information campaign which tells businesses and citizens exactly what they need to do before the transition period ends."
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