Douglas Ross has accused the SNP of “leaving behind” Scotland's rural communities.

The Scottish Conservative leader used a visit to a farm in Perth to claim the Scottish Government had been “obsessively focused on the central belt”.

But the SNP hit back, accusing him of having a "brass neck" given the impact of Brexit on Scotland's farming communities. 

Mr Ross used the stop on the campaign trail to announce plans for a countryside education day, which would see Scottish school kids receive information on rural life, local farming and food production.

“Our rural and remote communities are all too often a complete afterthought for the SNP Government. They have been completely left behind by ministers who shape policies with only the central belt of Scotland in mind,” Mr Ross said.

“That is why our councillors will introduce a countryside education day to ensure our school pupils gain an insight into a rural way of life and see first-hand the challenges of farming and food production.”

Mr Ross added: “When it comes to day-to-day services, it is our rural residents and businesses who can feel most detached from decision-making.

“That’s exacerbated even further by the SNP’s savage cuts to council budgets year after year. There is an almost endless list of policy areas where the SNP have over-promised and under-delivered for rural Scotland.

“From not delivering on their flagship broadband programme to their scandalous failure to deliver new ferries for our island communities, and even now rowing back on previous commitments to upgrade vital rural trunk roads, the SNP are simply not on your side if you live in a rural area.”

An SNP spokesperson said: “The Tories have a brass neck. Their disastrous Brexit, which Scotland never voted for, costs Scotland’s rural communities as their world-renowned produce is either held up at the border or snowed under mountains of red tape.

“On top of that the disastrous trade deals the Tories have negotiated have completely undercut Scotland’s lamb, beef and pork markets and made way for cheaper, lower quality products to be imported at the expense of Scotland’s world-famous food production.

“Scotland’s farmers and crofters have been sold up the river by the Tories and their Brexit obsession, which is why we cannot trust the Tories with the future of Scotland’s farming industry.”