FARMERS who have not received their Basic Payment at the end of March will be offered a 75 per cent bridging payment.

Environment Secretary Andrea Leadsom told this week's NFU Conference that she had secured the agreement of the Treasury.

She said: "As of today, 95.5 per cent of farmers have received their 2016 basic payment, but I do recognise that if you’re one of the 4,000 still waiting, you need to know when you will get paid.

"I am determined that we will do so much better for farmers when we leave the EU – with a system based on simpler, more effective rules, we’ll be free to grow more, sell more, and export more."

Support for food and farming after Brexit was not in doubt – it contributes almost £10 billion a year to the economy.

Mrs Leadsom outlined five principles to achieve a more prosperous farming industry.

n Trade: British food and drink exports topped £20 billion for the first time this year – about 60 per cent go direct to the EU. "The EU is our most important trading partner, a fact that won’t change when we leave, and a relationship we are determined to uphold," she said.

n Productive and competitive: Initiatives like McDonalds’ Progressive Young Farmers and Bright Crop should be built on to show young people that farming offers a great career.

On seasonal agricultural workers, Mrs Leadsom said: "I have heard loud and clear the vital role they play in many farm businesses, not least the horticultural sector.

"But at the same time, we mustn’t forget that a key factor behind the vote to leave the EU was to control immigration. So I want to find out what kind of labour you need, in food processing as well as farming, while exploring the role innovation can play in support of this.

n Sustainability: Farmers must be incentivised and rewarded for caring for the environment; the CAP had created unnecessary bureaucracy. A fresh look would see the mechanisms needed to achieve productive farming and environmental improvement.

Trusted: Animal and plant health and welfare must underpin a new agricultural policy. Mrs Leadsom said: "We are in the top four in the world for animal welfare – and leaving the EU will not change that."

Resilience: Bovine TB continues to be one of the biggest risks facing the industry. The badger cull was rolled out to seven additional areas last summer and Mrs Leadsom wants to extend that further.

"It’s thanks to you and the efforts of farmers on the ground that our strategy is working and that we are now close to declaring half of England officially TB-free, two years ahead of schedule," she said.

In conclusion, Mrs Leadsom said: "We have a once in a generation opportunity to transform our food and farming policies and it’s vital you are a key part of this process.

"I want farmers to thrive outside of the EU, and I will fight to get you the best deal – at home, in Brussels and around the world."