The future of the ferry service for Scotland island was discussed this week in the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee at Holyrood, with inputs from both North Link and CalMac on their plans for the services they provide.

On the issue of livestock transport and cancelled sailings, a CalMac statement said: “Certain weather conditions could result in a lack of protection for the livestock vehicle when on open vehicle decks and /or cause injury /undue suffering to livestock as a result of vessel movement. It therefore follows that such vehicles are subject to weather limitations.

"Livestock transporters come in a variety of designs and whilst a more precautionary approach may be necessary for large multi-tier vehicles, smaller trailers are not affected by poor weather conditions. Rather than stopping all animal transport in adverse weather conditions, a more tailored approach is taken, when possible, to allow certain types of vehicles to be accepted for travel.

"We are aware that the potentially ‘least worst’ option may be to ship the livestock, particularly in the event that no other welfare facilities exist for livestock in transit and potentially delayed – this is also taken into consideration at the assessment for carriage stage.”

Scottish Liberal Democrat MSP, Willie Rennie, who sat on the committee, said: “We heard about the need to better manage capacity on Scotland’s ferries. Many islanders can’t travel to and from the mainland as frequently as they would like because ferries are simply too full.

"This problem can get worse in the summer months when tourists buy up all of the available spaces weeks in advance. The solution to this cannot be to raise fares again.

"Instead, we need a long-term investment plan in Scotland’s ferry network to prevent the delays and disruption islanders have endured for far too long.”

When these points were put to the Scottish Government, a Transport Scotland spokesperson said: “We recognise the importance of ferry services to island communities and the many different challenges islanders face when carrying out their daily lives. This is not just about transport performance in itself. It’s about delivering the confidence needed to sustain island populations.

“There have been ongoing technical issues with vessels resulting in cancellation of sailings. During these periods of disruption, ferry operators prioritise food supplies and as part of the local resilience partnership they remain in contact with local communities and hauliers.

“The Scottish Government has invested more than £2bn in our ferry services since 2007 and we continue to work towards introducing more capacity and greater resilience on the Clyde and Hebrides network. As part of the islands connectivity plan, we will set out a long-term investment programme for vessels and ports which the Project Neptune report called for and islanders need to see.”

The Scottish Farmer also contacted the other opposition political parties in Holyrood for comment.