Last year 32% of Scottish Upland Sheep Support Scheme (SUSSS) inspections resulted in a financial penalty to the farmer, a drop of 3% on the year. The number of inspections rose from 130 to 184 between 2016-2017 with the number of sheep claimed up over 4,000 to 117,000 ewe hoggs.

Worryingly, over one third of penalties applied resulted in the farmer or crofter receiving no payment at all for the year they claimed, plus potential claw backs over the next three scheme years.

Just over half of all penalties were the lesser level-one penalty when less than four ineligible sheep were claimed.

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Overall, compliance with the scheme has increased – this being reflected in the decrease between 2016 and 2017 in the percentage of inspections resulting in financial penalties – including those at level 5.”

“The number of farms getting penalties is completely unacceptable,” said Sybil MacPherson, hill farmer from Argyll.

“Region-three farmers are worse off than region-two farmers, the idea was to treat them the same. The hogg scheme is part of their single farm payment, it’s not an add-on.

“What are farmers and crofters doing wrong to lose their payments? As far as I can gather, from the cases I know, it’s often small misdemeanours. Sometimes it’s hoggs away wintered and moved fields without the owner knowing. Many low ground farmers don’t understand how strict the rules are, and the potential consequences of breaking them.”