Scottish hill farmers have been denied around £14,000 each over a six-year period by the UK government. Fact.

This is not an unsubstantial amount, and I would ask readers to imagine how they would feel if they were owed that amount of money. Unimpressed would be an understatement I would reckon.

Now imagine that you agreed to participate in a review on how this situation had arisen. Where you had agreed in principle what that review would cover, who would carry it out and how each side would be represented.

But then the other party, suddenly moved the goal posts without your consent, and what was being suggested for that review you had signed up to was now a pale imitation of what you thought you had agreed to. Again, I would reckon you would be rather unimpressed.

Well that is the situation Scottish hill farmers are in now. A situation not of their making, but one in which they are being treated unfairly by the UK government.

How did we get to this position?

Well, under the last CAP reform, the EU set out to redistribute direct payments more equally, based on average euros per hectare. The intention being that Member States receiving less than 90% of the EU average rate would close the gap by one third by 2019, achieving a minimum rate of at least €196/ha.

Importantly, the UK only qualified for such an uplift because of Scotland’s extremely low average rate per hectare. Without Scotland, the UK would not have qualified or received an extra £190m from Europe. Again, fact.

Yet despite this, the UK government repeatedly failed to return this money to where it was earned – Scotland. Instead they distributed it across the UK, with Scotland only receiving £30m, far below what we are due.

Having received cross-party support from the Scottish Parliament on this matter, I have prodded and cajoled Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Michael Gove into agreeing to hold a review into this funding.

Having agreed in 2017 to hold a review, he further agreed in principle to the terms of reference that would review the allocation of external convergence funds within the UK; to review the arguments put forward by both sides and make recommendations on a solution; and more widely, to review the basis for allocation of agricultural funding within the UK with a view to developing fairer, more objective allocation criteria moving forward so Scotland does not continue to lose out in future.

Now imagine my surprise when I receive a letter from Mr Gove with a terms of reference so watered down, quite frankly it would render the whole exercise almost worthless.

Gone is any consideration of past decisions. Gone is the agreement in principle to look at future allocations beyond 2022. Gone is any serious look at ways of making intra-UK allocation of funding fairer in the long-term. Gone is Scotland’s chance to get what we are due.

It is extremely disappointing, and unacceptable to say the least, that nearly a year on, not only has the review still not begun, the UK government is finding new ways to delay, prevaricate and hope I drop the issue.

Well I can tell you I will not. To me, this issue remains simple and straightforward. It is a matter of right and wrong, fair and unfair. Failing to return monies to the people who are owed – hill farmers and crofters – is undeniably both wrong and unfair.

I therefore repeat my call to the UK government: reinstate the previously agreed terms of reference so we can get on with this review. Scottish hill farmers are running out of patience.