A farmer accused of "destroying the environment" will be deprived of three quarters of the payment of state support funded by taxpayers.

An investigation by the Scottish government revealed that James Orr had illegally taken six miles of dry dam walls from the Pitlochy farm in Gateside to create a “prairie”. Built in the early 1800s, these walls were considered a haven for wildlife, protecting local communities from floods.

Scottish Agriculture Secretary Fergus Ewing called the sentence significant and said it reflected the gravity of the violation.

However, Fife Willy Renny, a member of the Scottish Parliament from the Northeast constituency, disagreed, saying local farmers were worried about the damage it could cause and called for the restoration of the walls.

“It is good news that the government has acted, but the punishment seems rather modest, given the extent of the damage. I supported the restoration of the dams in order to make clear that this kind of behavior is unacceptable and I will write to the secretary of rural affairs to convince him to reconsider this punishment in order to make it more appropriate, ”the politician said.

James Orr himself, “the hero of the occasion,” declined to comment, but one nearby farmer spoke out in his defense, saying: “I think he did an excellent job of increasing farm efficiency. The stones from the dams were turned into roads on the farm, so he would not have to drive his tractors along the main road. This is a big plus for motorists. ”

However, a representative of the Scottish government said that the circumstances of the case had been fully investigated and examined and added that "the Scottish government will not tolerate violations that cause irreparable damage to our landscape and the environment and harm the reputation of the Scottish agricultural industry."