The level of farming debt in Scotland has hit a record high of £2.2bn, Scottish Government figures have revealed.

The debt level rose by £177m in the last year, a rise of 8% when including inflation.

It is the seventh consecutive annual rise in farming debt.

The Scottish Conservatives and the Scottish Liberal Democrats linked the rise with the Common Agricultural Payment (CAP) backlog in the rural economy.

Farmers had expected to receive their CAP funds in December 2015 but only 18% of those claimants were paid by the end of the month.

The Scottish Conservatives' shadow rural affairs secretary Peter Chapman said: "There's no question that farmers the length and breadth of Scotland have been let down badly by the SNP.

"The rural economy was starved of hundreds of millions of pounds thanks to its mismanagement of vital CAP payments.

"Now we are seeing record debt levels, and it paints a very grim picture for the agricultural sector.

"There are many challenges across farming, not least volatile commodity prices.

"But when farmers needed the Scottish Government most, the SNP ministers failed them."

Mike Rumbles, the Liberal Democrats' rural affairs spokesman, said he was not surprised with the increase in agricultural debt levels.

He said: "This increase in debt underlines the challenges facing Scottish agriculture.

"It is no surprise that farmers have been forced to increase borrowing.

"The shambles over Common Agricultural Policy payments mean it would have been a surprise if debt had not spiked.

"Thousands of farmers were forced to wait months to receive the money they were due."

The backlog in CAP payments meant the Scottish Government was on course to miss the payment deadline set out by the EU and risked being fined up to £125m by the organisation.

Following the meeting with the EU's commissioner Phil Hogan and discussions between the Scottish Government and EU officials by email, the deadline was moved to October 15.

A Scottish Government spokesman for the rural economy secretary Fergus Ewing called the link between missed CAP payments and increased farming debt as "irresponsible".

He said: "Both of these opposition parties are making political points which are not borne out by the facts.

"The willingness of our banks to continue to lend to farm businesses should be seen as a sign of strength and optimism, not weakness, allowing farmers and crofters to make long-term investment decisions.

"Their irresponsible claims - which are simply not backed up by the data - risk creating unnecessary worry and fear among Scotland's farmers and crofters.

"The Tories and Lib Dems are giving the erroneous impression that there is something different going on in Scotland compared to the rest of the UK. Yet since 2010, lending in UK agriculture, hunting and forestry has increased by 51% compared to 46% for Scottish agriculture.

He added: "We do not yet know what Brexit might mean for our rural economy in the medium or long term, nor do we have clarity on all EU funding streams.

"The only thing we do know is that the Tories' reckless behaviour will end all CAP funding for Scotland's farmers and rural communities, which is why we are exploring all options to protect our place in Europe."