Newly appointed ministers in the Labour government have so far given little indication about the level of funding that will be made available for agriculture in the UK.

The current budget for UK farmers equates to around £3bn annually, with NI receiving around £329m of this as ring fenced funding for farm schemes.

In his first address in the House of Commons as Defra Secretary, Steve Reed avoided the farm budget issue when outlining his party’s “new deal for farmers.”

Instead, the Labour MP focused on plans to reach a veterinary agreement with the EU to help improve post Brexit trade arrangements.

“We will […] stop farmers ever again being undercut by dodgy Tory trade deals that sell out Britain’s environmental and welfare standards,” he said.

Speaking as Shadow Defra Secretary, Conservative MP Steve Barclay was quick to point to “uncertainty in the farming budget.”

“The Government have made no commitment to what the budget will be, or whether they are continuing it or increasing it,” he said.

Farming Minister Daniel Zeichner gave some insight into Labour’s plans for farm schemes on Tuesday when he said in a statement the new government “will not be over-turning the applecart.”

He said Labour was “fully committed” to the Environmental Land Management scheme, the main replacement to the Basic Payment Scheme in England which is mostly focused on delivering environmental measures.

“We will optimise schemes and grants in an orderly way, ensuring they produce the right outcomes for all farmers, while delivering food security and nature recovery in a just and equitable way,” he said.