Secretary Truss believes the uncertain trade relations between the UK and the EU could lead to negative effects for farmers.

“Ireland is the biggest consumer of British beef, with exports there worth £110m in 2015. Beef farmers could lose millions of pounds of business if they lost access to the vital EU single market,” she said.

Farmers could face crippling tariffs to sell their goods to Europe and a red tape ‘double whammy’ of different rules

“It is far from certain what trading relationship the UK would have with the EU should the UK leave. Farmers could face crippling tariffs to sell their goods to Europe and a red tape ‘double whammy’ of different rules around inspections and labelling to sell abroad and at home – two sets of regulations, rather than one,” she continued.

At the moment, Britain is only 70% self-sufficient for its food and requires imports from the EU. Many say a Brexit will open the door to cheaper beef with lower production standards from South America to supplement the deficit and Truss believes this could be damaging.

“The European market is vital for farmers who are rearing top-quality beef cattle. Leaving would put these jobs at risk and threaten the livelihoods of those farmers,” she said.

Border controls

The prospect of border control between Ireland and the UK has also amplified the concern of a Brexit and the minister re-iterated these fears.

“I was at the Balmoral show last month and I saw for myself the importance of cross-border trade. There is a real danger that border controls would have to be introduced if we Brexit, meaning farmers and food producers would lose out on valuable opportunities.” Truss explained.

As the referendum date nears, debate on both sides is heating up, with the leave campaign believing British trade will benefit from breaking away from the EU.

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