Lessons will be learned over the slow payment of European Union (EU) support to crofters and farmers, the Rural Affairs Secretary has said.

Richard Lochhead revealed last week that about 5,000 - only 30% - of those entitled had received their first instalment under the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).

He told the Scottish Parliament a further 1,000 payments have now been authorised, bringing the total for Scotland to more than 6,000, or about 34%.

Mr Lochhead came under pressure to speed up progress from MSPs across the Holyrood chamber.

Independent Highlands and Islands MSP Jean Urquhart said: "You will know that many crofters in the Highlands and Islands region are having a very difficult time.

"Late payments combined with winter feeding, poor weather and low prices for beasts are not helping, and there is still deep resentment with regard to the 230,000 euro (£174,000) that the coalition government did not forward to Scotland as it was intended.

"When can the many crofters facing hardship expect to be paid?"

Mr Lochhead said: "I do, of course, appreciate the very real pressure facing many farming and crofting businesses throughout Scotland.

"Not only have they had the recent storms and flooding and wet weather over many months to contend with, but also the low commodity prices and other issues facing the market, not just in the UK and Europe but throughout the world as well.

"Of course, at the same time we've got the biggest-ever radical reforms to the Common Agricultural Policy and how that is implemented in Scotland.

"We are doing our utmost to make sure that the payments go to as many crofters and farmers as possible before the end of March."

Alex Fergusson, Conservative MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, branded the new IT system brought in to implement the changes a "shambles" and called on Mr Lochhead to ensure the problems were ironed out before the next round of applications.

Dave Thompson, SNP MSP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch, added: "Can he let us know what is being done to ensure that lessons are being learnt from this and that the payments at the end of this year will be handled in a better way?"

Mr Lochhead replied: "Many of the tasks that have been undertaken with the IT system are one-off tasks because this is the first year that we have had to go through a radical reform.

"We will continue to improve the IT system and indeed learn lessons as we move forward."