The Scottish Crofting Federation welcomed the Holyrood budget, particularly the £300,000 increase in the 2018/19 budget for the Crofting Commission and the commitment to pay out 100% of the LFASS payments in 2018.

“In these times marked with uncertainty, austerity and frugality,” said Russell Smith, chair of the Scottish Crofting Federation (SCF), “it is even more gratifying that, following the SCF response to the recent consultation in which we emphasised the necessity to fund the Commission appropriately, Scottish Government have chosen to maintain and, indeed, increase spending on the regulation and development of this essential sector.”

However the National Farmers Union of Scotland (NFUS) has said it was disappointed with the lack of detail on tangible farming measures.

“Scottish farmers and crofters form the bedrock of Scotland’s booming food and drink industry, which delivers £14bn back to the UK economy each year and now exceeds the oil and gas industry in terms of turnover,” NFU Scotland chief executive Scott Walker said, “positive announcements today were few and far between but cancellation of planned fuel duty rises for petrol and diesel vehicles is welcome. As is the extension of the rural fuel duty rebate scheme for the Scottish islands to 2023.”