Mr Manson said modern farming was a high technology sector

A lack of profitability has discouraged young people from staying in or taking up farm work, it has been claimed.

Colin Manson, chairman of the National Farmers' Union Scotland's Highland region, said a tradition of families working together was in decline.

NFU Scotland said research had shown as many as half of Scotland's farms have no successor in place.

Mr Manson said: "It is a national problem.

"Young people do not see farming as profitable, or a future unfortunately. Rural boys can turn their hand to any job and are good at welding and engineering and can go into other industries, such as oil."

He said that today arable farms had to be more than 1,000 acres (404 hectares), while livestock concerns had to have 200 suckler cows to be economical.

The average age of a Scottish farmer is late 50s and recent research has shown that as many as half of Scotland's farms have no successor in place NFU Scotland

Mr Manson said the tradition of father and son working on a farm was now in demise and "families were being split up".

However, he added that modern farming no longer involved the "drudgery" that it was associated with in the past and was a clean and high technology industry.

NFU Scotland said it was working with the Scottish Association of Young Farmers Clubs (SAYFC) on coming up with solutions to the problem.

A spokeswoman said: "The average age of a Scottish farmer is late 50s and recent research has shown that as many as half of Scotland's farms have no successor in place.

"These facts, together with cross industry concern about the difficulties faced by new entrants trying to get into farming, has prompted a number of recent activities."

Rural skills

Farming leaders have backed plans from the Scottish National Party to introduce a �10m new entrants scheme for the industry.

The party fears that the high average age of farmers leaves Scotland in danger of losing vital rural skills.

SNP leader Alex Salmond announced the scheme to the Scottish Estates Business Group AGM in Edinburgh last year.