The Scottish Liberal Democrats are calling for a “new bespoke system of financial support that works to the strengths of Scotland’s rural industries” to replace the Less Favoured Areas Support Scheme. As it stands, if the UK agrees a transition deal on Brexit, which sets parity on farming rules, then LFASS will not comply with EU rules and scheme recipients will have payments significantly cut.

Lib Dem spokesperson on rural affairs, Mike Rumbles, said: “The last thing our rural communities need from the Scottish Government is more uncertainty and another financial setback.

“I want to see a new bespoke system of financial support that works to the strengths of Scotland’s rural industries, including important producers in our less-favoured areas.

“In January 2017, my colleagues in the Scottish Liberal Democrats and I called on the Scottish Government to take steps to develop a new system of support and protect the budget for agricultural support in Scotland. Twenty-one months on and we are still waiting.”

NFU Scotland director of policy Johnny Hall said: “LFASS provides a vital injection of funding for hill farmers and crofters and without the annual £65m of lifeline support to the most vulnerable areas of Scotland many hill farms and crofts would be unsustainable which could lead to much wider ramifications - including the potential for land abandonment.

Amid an era of Brexit-fuelled uncertainty, a threat to the funding of LFASS would be a major blow to the confidence and continuity of many farming and crofting across Scotland’s LFA. As such, any cut to LFASS payments would be wholly unacceptable to NFU Scotland. Ensuring the continuity of LFASS and its full funding has been, and continues to be, a major priority for NFU Scotland.”