A top prosecutor has pledged to follow the money from thefts of farming equipment to find out if they are linked to serious organised crime.
Lesley Thomson, Solicitor General for Scotland, acknowledged concerns from farmers their equipment may be being stolen to order and exported abroad.
She told Holyrood's Justice Committee that specialist prosecutors are brought in at the start of agricultural crime investigations to ensure the money trail is followed.
The Solicitor General conducted a review of agricultural crime last year in response to farmers' concerns about theft, vandalism, fire-raising, housebreaking and worrying of livestock.
Conservative MSP Margaret Mitchell said: "There seemed to be a suggestion that farm vehicles were being stolen to order and ending up in Poland, Africa, Afghanistan. There must be a trail there that surely can be followed.
"Farmers tend to be a little bit isolated.
"There was evidence that farmers feel very much intimidated and they were threatened sometimes when they said they would be reporting things.
"(They were told) 'your barn will be burnt down' and these kinds of threats."
Ms Thomson said: "It is extremely important that you gather evidence about the full 'business' chain.
"What you are looking to target are not just those that are stealing to order but those at the top of the chain.
"What is then important is ensuring that the money trail is followed.
"That's why these cases, if there are any which the police report to us, will be dealt with the same way we deal with other organised criminality in SOCD (serious and organised crime division) by ensuring that the specialist prosecutors on the financial side are in at the very start."
She acknowledged isolated farmers may feel "that there is nobody who is going to pay attention if something happens".
She said: "What was extremely important is bringing people together in the review was to ensure that there was confidence, as far as any victims of crime are concerned, that if anything like that occurs it will be taken seriously by law enforcement authorities and treated accordingly."
In a submission to the committee, Police Scotland said: "In early 2014, the theft of quad bikes and all-terrain vehicles was increasing in Scotland despite a downward trend elsewhere in the UK.
"I am pleased to report that, at the Sparc (Scottish Partnership Against Rural Crime) meeting on January 26, members were advised, by NFU Mutual, that its claims data showed that the partnership working driven and supported by Sparc is already showing what it described as 'impressive results'."
In a submission, the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service said: "The financial cost of agricultural crime such as the theft of vehicles, machinery, equipment and fuel is significant, and for the victims of these crimes it can go beyond the cost of simply replacing the property stolen.
"Costs to agricultural businesses can include a loss of earnings due to thefts which prevent, or restrict, the carrying out of day-to-day work and trade."
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