LIKE everything else in Brexit, the effect of leaving the EU on some of Scotland’s most iconic — and successful — products was never even considered by the “little Englanders” who pursued a vitriolic and overwhelmingly untruthful anti-European campaign for many years.

Their victory now puts at risk not just Scotland’s great brands but also the livelihoods of the people who are behind them – some new companies and some very old ones.

Now that the talks on the future trade relationship between the UK and the remaining 27 EU companies are likely to start in the Spring it is absolutely essential that Scotland’s voice is heard in defence of those special things and indeed in defence of our very existence on the global stage.

For every consumer in China or America that has heard, even a little, about our politics and our current culture there will be a tens of thousands who know about Scotch whisky and hundreds who recognise Scotch Beef or Scottish salmon as high quality must haves for a special occasion.

Those, and all the other Protected Geographical Indicators not only guard us against cheap imitations but they also serve as great ambassadors for this beautiful but small country. They help people to get to know us and they build a brand loyalty which is, and will remain, of great benefit to us.

That doesn’t please the Brexiteers who want Britain to be the only trademark from these islands — a Britain that never really existed of course.

That is deliberate policy from some Brexiteers. In fact they want to turn the clock back to the 19th-century, when Scotland was known by some only as “North Britain”.

But in addition its hard to get the UK Tory Government to listen to any of Scotland’s concerns at this crucial time. Theresa May isn’t interested in what happens north of the Border and does her best to ignore us.

So the non-Tory Scottish MPs (the 13 Scottish Tory ones are in her pocket and unwilling to stand up for Scotland) and the Scottish Parliament will need to be at the forefront of the argument .

We will need to ensure that in the negotiations on this topic there is a special place for Scottish PGIs in any new structure that emerges. Indeed we should be developing our own plans for such a system , and ones that integrate well with the continuing European process. In this area “regulatory convergence” should be our aim and describe the minimum of what we need to achieve.

2018 is going to be a crucial year for Scotland. Brexit threatens us in many, many ways and its effects will be increasingly difficult for us. Scotland’s people will , at some stage, have to choose whether they are prepared to accept the package as negotiated by a Tory government that hasn’t thought about , and doesn’t care about, our vital needs (or those of Wales or Northern Ireland) or whether we want to pursue a different path, retaining the EU membership that has been, and can still be, so useful for us.

Scotland’s Parliament has a big role to play too , not least if all the other national and sub national parliaments of Europe are to get a vote. We cannot be left out. As we enter the new year we should start to make clear all the things that are at stake. There are lots of them but our special brand is definitely one of the most visible.