RURAL economy secretary Fergus Ewing has reminded the new Prime Minister about promises he made pre-appointment.

Mr Ewing has written to Boris Johnson, calling on him to confirm his pledge that the £160 million of Common Agricultural Policy funds owed to Scottish farmers will now be returned.

The Prime Minister has previously said that Scottish farmers have been poorly treated on the issue, whereby the UK only qualified for the convergence uplift of £160 million because of Scotland’s low per hectare payment rate.

Mr Ewings' letter said: "Congratulations on your appointment as the new Conservative leader and UK Prime Minister. Following recent news reports, I am writing to you urgently to seek confirmation of your pledge to reinstate the £160 million CAP (Common Agricultural Policy) funds that are owed to Scottish farmers.

"Your recognition that Scottish farmers have been “poorly treated” and that you would rectify this “historic injustice” is very welcome. Such recognition by the UK Government, six years after the act, is long overdue and I hope that this money will be made available promptly so that Scottish farmers do not have to wait very much longer to be compensated."

It continued: "Since the £160 million will replace EU agriculture funding that was wrongly allocated, I expect the UK Government to simply pass on the amount to the Scottish Government so that, as paying agents, we can make payments to our farmers and crofters. Agriculture is, as you know, devolved and so it should be up to the Scottish Government to decide the best way to distribute this money in accordance with our priorities for the sector.

"In terms of future agriculture funding, I was also heartened to hear you promise that Scottish farmers would receive an extra £25 million per year and “the same per hectare farming payment as the UK average after Brexit”. All I, and my predecessor, have ever asked for was a fair share of the agriculture funding pot for our farmers.

"That is why we fought so hard for the review, being chaired by Lord Bew, to take place. Although the remit of the review was considerably constrained and watered down, I am looking forward to reading the review report which is due out soon. I look forward to very early discussions with your SoS at DEFRA to ensure swift payment to the Scottish Government especially given the considerable financial pressures facing Scottish farmers and crofters at the present time."