SHE wants to scrap farm subsidies, and she thinks hill farmers should stick to looking after butterflies – that's new Defra secretary of state Andrea Leadsom.

A long term Brexit supporter, Ms Leadsom is certainly not the flavour of the month, with concerns mounting over what future support system she has in mind for farmers.

She is certainly in a powerful position to pursue an anti-subsidy agenda, as she has the close backing of her long-term political ally, George Eustice, who has kept his job as Defra minister for farming and food.

Five years ago, the two of them launched the 'Fresh Start' project, a Tory pressure group that called for a new UK-EU relationship, which would retain the single market in goods and services, but make other policy areas – including the common agricultural policy – optional.

Under Ms Leadsom's leadership, Fresh Start produced a paper calling for a restriction in the size of the EU farm budget, and she herself said that such state subsidies should be shaken up or abolished, a position that she reiterated during her recent party leadership campaign, before conceding to Teresa May.

She is also on record suggesting the introduction of environmental trading credits, and has stated: “It would make so much more sense if those with the big fields do the sheep, and those with the hill farms do the butterflies."

NSA Scotland development officer George Milne said: "It is deeply concerning that a new minister seems to have such a poor understanding of the way upland and hill livestock operates when she has used such ridiculous statements about hill sheep farming.

"She clearly does does not understand the importance of sheep production in the hills and uplands, or the fact that sheep production is at the heart of the rural economy. Without sheep and the payments to support sheep farming we would have total land abandonment across vast areas of Scotland delivering no benefit whatsoever," warned Mr Milne.

"The NSA will be meeting with the minister to remind her of the importance of maintaining a healthy, vibrant, stratified sheep industry across both Scotland and the UK."

NFU Scotland chief executive Scott Walker said: "Scotland's agricultural policy is determined in Scotland and not by Andrea Leadsom at Defra

"Given some of the remarks she has made in the past I think many Scottish farmers will have more faith that Nicola Sturgeon and Fergus Ewing will do a better job of understanding the needs of Scottish farming and delivering a future support system that meets our needs than English farmers will have in Defra supporting them."

SNP MEP Alyn Smith commented: "Andrea Leadsom has a massive job ahead of her. I wish her well but the evidence suggests that she is not going to stand up for Scottish farmers. I have a lot of concerns about how she sees the big picture.

"Farmers were told during the EU referendum not to worry about the continuation of the CAP subsidies and some hinted they could even be increased, but the reality now hits as the person in charge states she believes they should be cut.

"Her crass comments about sheep and butterflies imply that she has no real understanding of how Scottish hill farming works or of the combined benefits that can be achieved both in food production and environmental protection. Scotland's farmers deserve better than this."

QMS chief executive Uel Morton said that it had this week written to Ms Leadsom, and was keen to ensure the minister was "well informed" about the industry in Scotland.

“It is very important that the minister has a strong understanding of how the Scottish red meat industry operates and the way in which our production systems are different from elsewhere. Our industry has a great message on environmental sustainability, for example, and the quality assurance schemes behind our brands are among the longest running in the world."