The Scottish Tenant Farmers Association (STFA) has expressed concerns that the proposed activity rules will be inadequate to prevent a new generation of slipper farmers.

STFA director Angus McCall said: "The Scottish Government's dilution of activity rules has already made a nonsense of the Cabinet Secretary's promise last June to "make every effort to target every public pound at genuine activity - to target those who wear dirty wellies not comfy slippers.

"The option on Region 1 land to cut down scrub and to maintain the land in readiness for agricultural production, and the option in Region 2 & 3 to undertake annual environmental assessments on un-stocked land hardly represent value for money for the public purse.

"We would like to see the activity rules strengthened to include proof that the active farmer's income from the land is from agriculture, that he is in occupation of the land, that he is taking the entrepreneurial risk of the farming activities on the holding, and that he is in control of the day-to-day management of the holding. We can see no justification for anyone to be in receipt of Basic Payments unless they are actually engaged in farming activity on that land."

Mr McCall went on: "STFA has been aware over the last year or so of tenancies being brought to an end and land taken back in hand to allow landlords to take advantage of the new CAP (Common Agricultural Policy) regime. This trend has accelerated since the Government announced it would not be implementing 2013 as the reference year for claiming entitlements. This will be to the detriment of those renting land who now face losing land and the entitlements to the BPS (Basic Payment System) that go with it.

"Government officials are well aware of the problems and, even at this late stage, should take action to mitigate the damage that this is doing to the rental sector."

A spokesman for Scottish Land and Estates said: "The new CAP is ushering in an entirely new regime that all farmers are having to adapt to. Any farmer that has been renting out land will be weighing up their own business options as well as considering the requirements of their tenants. There will be a period of change as the new rules bed in, but the rental market should change to reflect the new regime."

Market round-up

United Auctions sold 496 store heifers at Stirling on Wednesday to a top of 285.7p per kg and an average of 227.8p (-1.6p on the week), while 1055 store, beef-bred bullocks peaked at 303.3p and levelled at 229.9p (-4.3p). One-hundred-and-three store, B&W bullocks sold to 192.2p and averaged 169.1p (-6.2p), while 60 store bulls peaked at 273.2p and levelled at 226.5p.

In the rough ring 143 cows averaged 133.1p.