SHETLAND farmer Lorna Scott is proud of her 750-strong flock of hardy sheep who easily withstand most of the weather the northern climate throws at them.

However under “ill-judged” ­proposals based on a Westminster committee’s report she would not be able to transport them unless the weather was a comparatively balmy 5°C.

The temperature restriction is just one of a number of proposals that have sent shockwaves through the crofting and farming community in Scotland, particularly in the islands where warnings have been given they could end livestock production.

For farmers like Scott it is as if the proposals have been dreamt up in a cosy office in London where there is no real understanding of the realities of rural life.

“The majority of agricultural work here is crofts and we have a good thriving crofting population which is great because it keeps rural places going and usually means there is a school and a wee shop. But if we are not able to run this as a business and get our stock away south these places would just dry up. It would change the entire landscape of Shetland,” said Scott.

In Orkney she said the impact would be similar, particularly as there is no longer an abattoir.

The temperature restriction makes no sense to Scott as her flock is out in all weathers all year.

“They are outdoor animals and their whole nature is to be hardy,” she said.

“Lambing time is the only time we would have stock in, but last year we had a week of snow in Shetland over May and this would be suggesting you can’t transport ewes and newly born lambs to different grazing parks that have better shelter if they were at ­another part of your farm. That in ­itself would be very worrying.”

While a temperature restriction would affect farmers all over Scotland – in Perthshire alone there were only three days in the first six weeks of 2021 where the temperature ­remained above 5°C at any part of the day – the islands are particularly ­concerned about a proposed tightening up of ferry travel.

At the moment whether a boat sails is up to the captain as he or she is viewed as being the best judge, but the proposed restriction would mean no animal could be transported in anything over a force six.

Scott is particularly perplexed at this as the Farm Animal Welfare Committee (FAWC) came north to inspect the conditions on the ferry from Orkney to Aberdeen and said they were impressed at how well and how rested the animals were after the trip when gusts were up to force 10.

“Last year 100,000 sheep went out of Shetland but if you are only able to transport stock on days below a force six it would be a handful,” pointed out Scott. “There is no way you would be able to get 100,000 sheep out of the isles. It would be the end of a huge number of businesses up here just ­because we wouldn’t be able to abide by these rules.

“It would cause huge problems for me as the majority of my lambs go south. We have longer, wetter winters and shorter summers so we simply could not keep the level of stock that is transported further south for sale.

“The most frustrating thing is that the captain of the boat has the final say-so and we would never question it if he said the conditions were not right. The injury and death rate of a trip between Shetland, Orkney and Aberdeen is something like 0.006% so it really is as good as you get.”

SCOTT is also worried that ferry journeys will no longer be counted as “neutral” time during transportation.

“They are in really well designed containers, they have food, water and a lot of room so they are usually well rested when they come off the boat so it is not counted in any transport time and that is really important ­because the trip from Shetland to ­Aberdeen is sometimes 16 hours. Neutral time needs to be maintained so we are not cut off at the knees.”

The FAWC proposals have formed the basis of consultations put out by both Defra and the Scottish Government but NFU Scotland has criticised the FCAW report as “poorly written and simplistic” showing “no appreciation or understanding of livestock production across all parts of the UK”.

“NFUS argues that 5°C cannot be considered an ‘extreme’ temperature within the UK, and certainly not within Scotland,” said a spokesperson. “Most UK livestock are adapted to be comfortable at temperatures well below 5°C and setting such a high minimum temperature will impact heavily on some regions, effectively preventing any transport during the winter months when the livestock are more than capable of travelling at colder temperatures.”

The restrictions would not only impact farmers and crofters but also hauliers, markets and processors, ­according to NFU Scotland.

Robert Leslie, SNP candidate for Orkney, said the current absence of an abattoir meant that livestock transport links were more crucial than ever to sustain livestock farming in the islands.

“While animal welfare is of prime importance and any suggested ­improvement would be welcomed, the proposals from Defra appear ill-judged and not based on analysis of what is happening in places like ­Orkney already, where we have a well-proven system,” he said.

“I know that for Orkney ­farmers their number one interest is the ­welfare of the livestock they are ­producing, and ensuring that is ­maintained throughout their lives. They would not be putting their ­animals in any system that would be detrimental to that.”

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Following the closure of the public consultation seeking views on potential changes to how animals are transported, we are actively considering this issue and intend to set out our considerations shortly.

“The potential changes were ­recommended by the Farm Animal ­Welfare Committee and are being consulted on across the UK, however we have been clear that no potential new laws should disproportionately ­disadvantage Scottish producers wherever they work.”