“The less tax you can pay the better,” says Peter, a new entrant into farming and trainee auctioneer with Lawrie and Symington. “My wife and I looked into getting farm support payment but with Brexit we don’t know what’s going to happen. We feel that if we can work without it, it wouldn’t be a bad thing. We looked into the startup grants but I wasn’t entitled to it because I got my first sheep when I was 13 years old. So I had a flock number for more than five years when I went to apply.”

With strict finances as a new entrant, Peter wanted to avail of the grant system for sheds in the Scottish Rural Development Programme. But he was told that all the funding was used up in the first year.

“The new entrant grant system for sheds was in place over five years in the SRDP but it was all used up in the first year which defeats the purpose. Either increase the budget or be a bit more selective as to those who need it.

“One thing affecting farmers around here is sporting rates this year. It has nothing to do with shooting, just if your ground has potential. I think it could put a lot of farmers in a very difficult position.”

Peter says there is a lack of young people outside the farming community interested in the agricultural sector, but that the Government could look to incentivise more people to see it as a career option.

“I feel a bit more education as to what’s involved in farming is needed. We advertise scotch lamb as well; but maybe it’s not in the best way? It looks hard and the younger generation are not as driven. There are a lot of unemployed folks that could do it, but that needs to be incentivised.”