The East of England's farms generated more than £1bn of income last year - underlining the region's reputation as the nation's arable powerhouse.

Defra's latest data shows the East generated a Total Income From Farming (TIFF) of £1,094m in 2022, an increase of £77m on the previous year, and more than any other region.

The East also topped the tables for the highest TIFF per hectare, at £783/ha, and the largest total crop output value of £2,788m, up 19pc from 2021.

The crop value contributed 58pc of the £4,843m "total outputs and subsidies" figure - the highest proportion in the last six years - with wheat being the region's most valuable crop at £1,024m.

Meanwhile, total livestock output in the East of England increased by 6pc to £1,296m in 2022, with poultry remaining the biggest sector, generating a TIFF of £658m, followed by pigmeat, which increased by 15pc to £378m in 2022.

Despite the rising incomes, the data also outlines the soaring costs which have hit farm profitbability in the East of England since the start of 2022 - driven by volatile commodity markets, and heightened by the war in Ukraine.

They included animal feed, which increased by 27pc to £746m on the back of high wheat prices, and fertilisers and soil improvers, which leaped by 79pc to £441m compared with 2021.

The figures also showed the impact of dwindling support payments, as the EU's land-based "direct payment" subsidies are being phased out to be replaced by a new system of post-Brexit environmental incentives, still under development.

Direct payments worth £300m were paid to East of England farmers in 2022, a decrease of £28m from 2021.

But as farmers seek to adapt by finding alternative revenues, the value of non-agricultural activities, such as diversifications and tourism rentals, rose from £235m to £254m.