Suffolk farmers' leaders are fearful that the agricultural budget may find itself in the firing line as the new Labour chancellor looks for ways to balance the books.

Rachel Reeves - who declared the discovery of a £22bn "black hole" in the public finances after taking office - is due to deliver her first budget on October 30 and many fear the worst.

Local National Farmers' Union (NFU) leaders Glenn Buckingham and George Gittus -
county chair and council representative for Suffolk respectively - have written to Suffolk members urging them to write to their new MPs calling on them to defend the farming budget.

"There is no doubt this new government are minded to cut expenditure in many places, but we don’t need that to happen to our budget," they said.

They are urging members to persuade others connected to the industry to add their support to saving the farming budget.

"This is a test of the new government in supporting us in all the aims of the Environmental Land Management scheme (ELMs) and Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) going forward," said Glenn.

"We know last year with the last government there was a £358m underspend and there were rumours £100m was going back to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) from that which in effect means they are willing to cut the farm budget."

The NFU has been working to raise the profile of the industry with its Back British Farming Day and lobby work at Westminster.

NFU president Tom Bradshaw - who farms at Fordham, near Colchester - has previously said the underspend figures were "unacceptable".

“A £358 million underspend is unacceptable and nothing short of a kick in the teeth to farmers and growers who have faced years of uncertainty and loss of income during the agricultural transition.”

He blamed a gap in completing schemes to replace the old pre-Brexit farm subsidy system which is being phased out called the Basic Payment Scheme.

The NFU has criticised problems with the implementation of new ELMs schemes.

“Despite some improvements, there is still a big gap in spending as the money saved from the continued BPS reductions has sat gathering dust,” Tom added.

“Let’s be clear, this underspend hasn’t happened because the investment isn’t needed.”

Farmers and growers have been facing devastating weather events and a collapse in confidence as prices fall. according to a confidence survey carried out by the NFU.