Rachel Reeves delivers another hammer blow to farmers months after inheritance tax row

has been accused of "escalating her war on farmers" just months after the The Chancellor is expected to announce major budget cuts to state funding for farmers on June 11.

Having promised a fund of £5billion available to all farmers from 2024 to 2026, the environmental land management scheme (ELM) will be slashed for all but "small farms", the Guardian reports.

Victoria Atkins, the Tory shadow environment secretary, said: "Once again, the Chancellor is going to use her spending review to escalate her war on farmers. This is just another example of Labour's chaotic approach to our countryside."

She added: "Labour's lack of understanding about our rural communities is putting our nation's food security at risk.

"They need to come clean about their definition of a 'small farm' so they do not catch more farmers by surprise with their shambolic mismanagement.

"It is a betrayal as they are upending the principled approach of rewarding farmers for looking after the land whilst growing food, which is a clear Brexit benefit - or should be."

The nature-friendly farming fund which replaced the EU's common agricultural policy aims to reward farmers for supporting nature recovery and the ecosystem and making "a significant contribution to the environment", rather than just food production. Many rely on this funding to make ends meet.

When inheritance tax changes were announced, lifelong farmer, Ed Willmot, highlighted major concerns about food security, which he said was just over 50 percent for staple foods.

"In other words, we're not producing enough to feed the nation," he said, explaining that farmers may have to sell assets to pay the tax bill, instead of being able to invest in making more food.

Recalling a conversation with MPs, he said: "The answer was we can import it [food]. When you see what the weather's done to certain parts of Spain and Portugal, are they going to import food if they're going to be short themselves?"

The move is part of cutbacks expected across a wide range of departments, including police and social housing.

It looks likely to deepen following her announcement to impose a 20% levy on any inherited farming assets over £1 million.

The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Treasury have been contacted for comment.