An Aberdeenshire farmer who does not work the land topped the list of recipients for EU farming subsidies in the UK, according to a report by Greenpeace.

Frank Smart received nearly £3m in grants from the EU's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) last year, despite being subject to complaints of "slipper farming" - where farmers buy up land for subsidy entitlements then rent it out.

The practise is not illegal, but the Scottish Government has vowed to close the regulatory loopholes which entitle "slipper farmers" to CAP payments

Mr Smart runs Frank A Smart & Son Ltd, based in Banchory.

The report by Greenpeace found that at least one in five of the top 100 recipients of CAP subsidies in the UK last year were farm businesses owned or controlled by members of aristocratic families.

Recipients include the Queen, the Duke of Westminster, the Duke of Northumberland, the Earl of Moray and the Earl of Plymouth.

Sixteen of the top 100 are owned or controlled by individuals or families who made 2016 Sunday Times Rich List, receiving a total £13.4m farm subsidies, Greenpeace said.

It is the first time the environmental campaign group have analysed the top CAP recipients in the UK.

The UK Government has pledged to maintain CAP payments post-Brexit until 2020 until a domestic system is put in place.

A spokeswoman for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said: "The Secretary of State has underlined the need for continuity for farmers and together with her ministerial team is looking forward to working with industry, rural communities and the wider public to shape our plans for food, farming and the environment outside the EU."