TWO of the UK's top environmental ministers disagree over whether it would be best for farmers for Britain to stay in the EU.

Secretary for the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Liz Truss, and her junior minister George Eustice made it clear at the recent NFU annual conference that they are split when it comes to the referendum and its impact on farmers.

In her speech at the conference Ms Truss said: "Food and farming is our largest manufacturing industry employing 3.8 million people.

"Sixty per cent of our food and farming exports are to the European Union, bringing in £11 billion.

"At a time of severe price volatility and global market uncertainty – I believe it would be wrong to take a leap into the dark."

She added: "The years of complication and risk caused by negotiating withdrawal would be a distraction from our efforts to build a world-leading food and farming industry that brings jobs and growth to Britain."

Ms Truss said she does not believe the EU to be perfect and wants a simplification of the Common Agricultural Policy, more decisions at a local level and abolishment of the 'three-crop rule'.

Farmers in the UK currently receive £2.4 billion in support through Europe but farming minister George Eustice believes the UK would be better off outside the EU.

Speaking at the NFU conference Mr Eustice said that leaving the European Union would result in an annual £18 billion 'Brexit dividend', £2 billion of which he believes could be spent on farming and the environment.

Mr Eustice also said that if Britain were to vote to leave the EU, UK farmers would be able to help design its own policies to support food and farming.

Now the CLA in the South West, which represents farmers, landowners and other rural businesses, has challenged him to explain what he thinks Brexit will mean for the South West’s rural businesses.

CLA South West Director, John Mortimer, said: “We respect the Farming Minister’s decision to support the campaign for the UK to leave the EU. But as the person who has been responsible for farming policy since 2013, he is uniquely placed to spell out how he believes UK farmers can trade with EU and the rest of the world outside the common agricultural policy."