They are as much a feature of Scotland’s landscape as rolling hills, the wildflowers of the machair and the rugged coastline, while the wool they produce has a global reputation for its top quality.

And with knitting, handcrafts and demand for natural, traceable products soaring, some may think Scottish fleeces fetch a premium price.

But it’s emerged that some farmers and crofters are earning little more than pennies – and in some cases not making any money at all – for their sheep’s fleeces.

Bizarrely, one Western Isles crofter ended up owing the British Wool Board money after the costs of transporting his bag of fleece was deducted from its price.

Another was shocked to learn she would be paid only £5.25 for 215kg of wool from her flock of around 100 ewes – roughly the same weight as a polar bear.

Others are said have taken to throwing fleeces on the ground as ‘carpets’ to provide grip for vehicles travelling over muddy gateways, burying fleeces as vegetable patch compost, storing them for five years in the hope the price rises, or giving them away for free.

The problem has been fuelled by the pandemic and a drop in demand from end users such as carpet and mattress manufacturers, which most ‘rough’ Scottish fleece tends to be used for.

However, frustrated farmers and crofters point to a string of long-term issues that have affected the sector, including a lack of consumer demand for quality wool products and cheaper manmade alternatives.

One issue is said to be a dearth of small, local mills: where mills were once common features of towns across Scotland, the bulk of fleeces leaving Scottish farms are sent for processing in England and then are often exported for manufacture.

There are now calls for investment to help Scotland’s wool sector develop, a rethink over how and where Scottish fleece is processed and innovative ideas for its end uses.

Seòna NicDhòmhnaill, who runs a croft in Bernisdale on the Isle of Skye and who received £5.22 from the British Wool Board for her 215kg of fleece, said: “Something has to change.

“The price has been on a steady decline for years. Manufacturing costs are really high, and processing, cleaning and carding is labour and time consuming. It’s much cheaper to produce synthetic fibres.

“Meanwhile, landfill is full of synthetic fibres. For wool to be just ‘got rid of’ is bonkers and sad.”

She added that by the time sheep farmers spend up to £1.50 per sheep to have them clipped, there is either little or no return to show for their efforts.

“People here have maybe 15 or 100 sheep - we’re not huge farmers, we’re crofters who are looking after the land and the environment. We are outside, working with the sheep at night and weekends, making sure they’re okay, and then we see we’ve received just £5.22.

“Our ewes are loving having their fleece off. It’s an animal welfare issue and something needs to happen to encourage people to use the wool.”

Gaelic broadcaster and Isle of Lewis crofter Donald Macsween also raised the issue on Twitter, where he commented: “Took my neighbour’s wool bag to Stornoway last Monday and asked him today if he got paid. One bag, probably 40-60kg and, after carriage, he owed them 23 pence. They wrote it off as a gesture of goodwill.”

He added: “It’s difficult to justify cleaning, rolling and packing wool properly at this rate. One day on my own, I just chucked it all in a bag. I’d rather just get it off than waste time for a few pence.”

He pointed out that while some of the fleece from the sheep at his croft in Ness is spun into yarn, the process is expensive: “I’m spinning over 100kg this year and it’s going to cost me well over £10,000,” he said. “I have to sell it for £20/100g, it’s so expensive to process.”

Among the suggestions is to expand the use of wool as a renewable alternative to manmade home insulation materials. However, the current processing costs mean wool insulation is significantly more expensive than insulation made from recycled plastic or other materials, raising the issue of whether consumers will pay a premium for a more sustainable product.

And while a handful of UK-based manufacturers make duvets, pillows, dog beds and topper mattresses using British fleece, processing costs again mean they are high-end, luxury products.

NFU Scotland Vice President Martin Kennedy said the pandemic’s impact on the hospitality and travel sector has led to a slump in demand for carpets and other products from cruise ships and hotels, pushing down the price of wool.

However, he added: “We have this natural, renewable product that we should be using ourselves for products such as insulation, particularly at a time when insulation is hard to get. However, the infrastructure to do that is no longer there.

“British wool is so good, it’s renewable, it’s a carbon sink and could be used for more than carpets and mattresses. It flies in the face of reality not to use it.

“If we were to invest more in our processing sectors, we can create more jobs, add value to what we produce, become less reliant on imports thereby reducing emissions.”

He added: “Years ago, the wool cheque paid for the rent of the farm or the shepherd’s wages, now it doesn’t even cover the cost of the shearing.

“I’ve heard of people putting it down on gateways and tracks where it’s wet to support vehicles in the mud.”