Scotland's farming industry has been warned of Brexit 'meltdown'
A former Scottish MEP for the Tory party has said the UK leaving the EU will lead to 'certain meltdown' for Scotland's farming industry.
Struan Stevenson, who was a Conservative MEP from 1999 to 2014, said cheap food imports will push farmers out of business.
Mr Stevenson has also predicted that markets will decline rapidly as compeition from countries outside the European Union grows.
Farming union NFU Scotland told BBC Scotland his comments are 'extremeist'.
And Defra Secretary Michael Gove has insisted that leaving the European Union will present a chance for British agriculture to 'put things right'.
'Decline sharply'
Mr Stevenson, who wrote in The Herald newspaper, said: "Farmers and landowners, far from benefiting from new worldwide trade deals promised by the arch-Brexiters, will see their markets decline sharply as competition from cheap imports expands. Subsidies will disappear. Land values will collapse.
"Most farmers have thin margins, if they have any margins at all. The European Commission estimates that land prices would fall by 30% if farm subsidies were totally abolished in the UK and they would fall sharply if subsidies were reduced.
"For farmers who have taken out bank loans against the value of their land, a loss of value would be fatal."
Maintaining subsidies
Mr Stevenson said that currently, UK farmers receive 60% of their total income from EU subsidies.
He has urged the government to commit to maintaining subsidies beyond 2020.
Indeed, under plans seen by The Guardian the UK could continue to receive EU farm subsidies for two years after leaving if it keeps up with budget payments.
He said: "The Brexiters also claim that the EU's protectionist policies discriminate against cheap food imports and force up food prices for British consumers. In other words, they want cheaper food following Brexit.
"That means throwing open UK markets to cheap food from Africa, Australia, North America, Brazil and Argentina, causing chaos for UK farm gate prices, a further fall in land values and widespread bankruptcies."
Growth hormones
The most controversial difference in livestock farming either side of the Atlantic is the American use of growth hormones, banned in the EU.
Mr Stevenson has argued that a deal between the UK and the US could lead to hormone-treated beef and chlorine-washed chicken being imported.
Both of which are banned under EU regulations.
Vice President of the NFU Guy Smith is also concerned about cheaper products grown to different standards and the over-reliance of foreign food imports.
Guy Smith explained: "Any civilized country has to ask itself do we want to become recklessly dependant on imports for our food needs."