Agriculture is on a “knife-edge”, a farming leader has said as he called for political parties to set out policies to support farmers to invest in food production.

National Farmers’ Union (NFU) president Tom Bradshaw called for a significant increase in the UK agricultural budget to £5.5 billion a year as the “correct level” of investment for meeting environmental targets and supporting sustainable food production.

Mr Bradshaw also called for measures to prevent imports of food which are not produced to standards legally required in the UK and reform of planning rules to help farming businesses invest in infrastructure such as glasshouses.

As polling suggests Labour has pulled ahead of the Tories in some of the most rural constituencies, Mr Bradshaw said the rural vote is “up for grabs”.

The party manifestos would be the moment of truth to see if there were policies which would support farmers and growers, he suggested.

While both parties have spoken about how food security is an issue of national security, he warned it was just “warm words” which were meaningless without policies to deliver it.

Mr Bradshaw, an arable farmer from Colchester, said farmers had endured an extraordinary couple of years, with the war in Ukraine sparking a huge inflationary period.

He added: “When you couple that with the challenges of climate change, I think what members are seeing on the ground is some of the most exceptional conditions we’ve seen, probably for a generation.

“We’ve had nine months of exceptionally wet weather which started last harvest.”

Mr Bradshaw was elected as NFU president at the organisation’s annual meeting in February.

He warned confidence among farmers had fallen, and the NFU wanted to see policies that gave farm businesses the confidence to invest in food production and environmental action.

“I think we are at an absolutely pivotal time,” he told the PA news agency.

“It’s quite exciting because if there is a party which really demonstrates they are willing to invest in agriculture and the food supply chain, and rebuild that confidence, then we have a crucial role to play in delivering for economic growth, particularly in our rural communities, but also in the role we can play for climate change.

“It’s one of those times where I do feel things are on a knife-edge, but if we do get the right support, then I think we’ve got all to play for.”

Mr Bradshaw also called for a long-term commitment to the agricultural budget and warned against allowing food production to become a “poor relation” to environmental goals.

He pointed to both Environment Secretary Stephen Barclay and shadow environment secretary Steve Reed reiterating food security was national security.

“That’s meaningless if policy doesn’t then flow from it, which delivers the outcomes that pull it all together,” he said.

“And so I think that we will be trying to make sure there is more of a focus on food because if not, it’s nothing more than warm words and that is not going to keep people fed.”