Defra's Farm Business Survey suggests the area of uncropped land will fall by just 50 per cent, which is moderate according to the NFU in today's current climate of rising world population and increased demand on land.

NFU President Peter Kendall with his wife, Emma

President Peter Kendall said: "The figures published today demonstrate a fairly moderate increase to cropped land and show how farmers are reacting to market demands. This is exactly why the EU reduced the amount of set aside land to zero for this year.

"I believe it is wrong to set aside hundreds of thousands of acres of productive farmland at a time when rising world food supplies are coming under ever-increasing pressure and feed prices are rising.

"However I do feel equally as strongly that farmers have embraced environmental stewardship which has acquired considerable environmental significance and I am convinced that farmers will continue to do this.

"I believe today's figures demonstrate that farmers are behaving responsibly, and according to Defra's Farm Business Survey, farmers have reduced their uncropped area as much as they intend to."