BORIS JOHNSON has been selected as the new leader of the Conservative Party, and will succeed Theresa May as Prime Minister of the UK before the week is out, whereupon all the many and varied promises he has made whilst campaigning for the job will become due.

Just a fortnight ago, Mr Johnson won considerable plaudits from the Scottish farming sector for his pledge to remedy the £160million shortfall in its support budget created by Defra's earlier decision to spread EU 'convergence' cash across the whole of the UK. However, the new leader has also set out his stall as a 'hard' Brexiteer, who would be willing to leave the EU without a formal withdrawal deal on October 31 – causing what many industry economists have warned would be much more than £160million worth of losses to Scottish farmers.

Commenting on the Tory leadership outcome, NFU Scotland president Andrew McCornick said: “Boris Johnson’s appointment comes at a time of huge change and uncertainty for Scottish farmers and crofters and the UK in general.

“Having received significant commitments from Mr Johnson during his campaign, both publicly and privately in writing, we will now be intensifying our engagement with the new PM and his Cabinet once announced. We will continue to work closely with our colleagues in the farming unions across the UK to secure an acceptable Brexit deal as time is remarkably short and levels of uncertainty remain daunting," said Mr McCornick.

“We wrote to Mr Johnson during the election campaign and set out in no uncertain terms just what Scottish farmers and crofters want from the early days of his premiership. We called for Brexit to deliver frictionless trade that upholds the extremely high standards met by Scottish farmers and crofters; access to skilled and competent labour and ring-fenced and multi-annual funding commitments for devolved delivery of a new Scottish agricultural policy that will drive productivity, profitability, build resilience and deliver on environmental needs.

“In his response to NFUS, Mr Johnson recognised our priorities and said his ambition is for a trade deal that minimises friction; his intention to establish a process that ensures that every sector and industry in the economy has access to the workers that it needs and a categorical commitment to address the £160 million shortfall in funding that Scottish farming has experienced in recent years as a result of the flawed convergence decisions taken by the Government in 2013, as well as providing an additional £25 million per year to the sector," he recalled.

“That level of spend would deliver one of the biggest cash injections ever seen by the industry. NFUS will be demanding that the new regime show the colour of their money, right the historic wrong of the convergence decision and deliver a fair multi-annual and ringfenced funding settlement for Scottish agriculture in the longer term.

“Now that Mr Johnson has won the race to Number 10, the union has an unprecedented opportunity to engage with the top of UK Government from the first day of the new Prime Minister’s premiership," added Mr McCornick. "After months of stagnation on the Brexit negotiations, it is vital that we see meaningful progress, and we will be making early contact with Number 10 in order to make the case directly to the new regime.”

National Sheep Association chief executive Phil Stocker called on Mr Johnson not to 'play populist politics' as he sets out his Brexit plan: “This is not a time for playing politics or making rash promises in an attempt to demonstrate perceived leadership strength. Britain needs stability and a framework that avoids business disruption, with serious consideration of sectors like the sheep industry that we know are particularly vulnerable.

"The picture is bleak for British sheep farming if Mr Johnson refuses to avoid a hard or disorderly departure from the EU – something we know would result in major trade disruption with inadequate time to put in place alternative options,” said Mr Stocker.

“Leaving without a deal and ending up with a WTO Brexit will cripple our trade. We currently export some 35% of our sheepmeat, with around 96% of that going to EU markets," he reiterated. "To suddenly add a tariff of 40 to 50% of value will make trade to the EU unworkable without severe price collapses that the industry cannot carry. Promises of a rescue package once things have gone wrong are the wrong approach – what is needed is a strategic package of measures to avoid collapse in the first place. I urge Mr Johnson to prioritise an orderly Brexit that gives continuity with trade, and the formation of a clear strategic plan that negates any breakdown of Britain’s sheep farming industry.”

Further to the risk of a 'no deal', NSA called for Mr Johnson to make careful considerations when appointing his new cabinet. Mr Stocker explained: “At such a fragile time, the last thing our industry needs is a change in our Secretary of State or Ministers, but if they must come then we hope the new Prime Minister will carefully consider who he appoints. We need a Defra team with an understanding of agriculture and its role in the countryside.”