British Sugar has offered to pay East Anglia's farmers a 25pc cash advance on their sugar beet crops to help them cope with crippling cost pressures.

The region's arable farmers have been hit with soaring fuel costs and a four-fold leap in fertiliser prices after the war in Ukraine hit world commodity markets.

So British Sugar has agreed to pay loyal sugar beet growers a quarter of their agreed price ahead of the 2022/23 harvest campaign, interest free, to help ease their cash-flow problems.

The offer is open to all growers who have held contracts with British Sugar for each of the last three years.

Growers will be able to opt in to the scheme, with money paid into their banks during the third full week of June.

Dan Green, agriculture director for British Sugar, said: “With recent levels of inflation resulting in higher input prices, sugar beet growers are facing unexpected and increased pressures. We have worked with NFU Sugar to provide some practical help in these extraordinary circumstances.

"We acknowledge, more than ever, that growing sugar beet is a partnership between growers, industry partners, and us as the processor.

"We hope this cash advance, together with the work of the Field-to-Factory Partnership, gives growers the confidence to invest in sugar beet in the long-term.”

Fenland grower Michael Sly is chairman of the National Farmers' Union's sugar board (NFU Sugar). He said: “With growers across the country facing extreme inflationary pressures, I’m pleased that we have been able to work with British Sugar to offer growers a cash advance on their 2022 crop.

“Cash flow is incredibly important for a farm business and when prices of key inputs have risen so sharply, this early cash injection will provide some relief for British sugar beet growers.”

North Norfolk grower Kit Papworth, also an NFU Sugar representative, said: "This is hugely positive for growers who are having to commit to exceptionally expensive inputs at this stage of the season.

"The implications for arable farming businesses are really stark. The cash required to get you through from this time of year to when you sell these crops is a crippling amount of money, so any help British Sugar can give us is welcome."

British Sugar processes the region's beet crops at its four factories in Cantley and Wissington in Norfolk, Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk, and Newark in Nottinghamshire.

The firm's announcement follows a similar move from Defra earlier this month to bring forward half of this year’s BPS (Basic Payment Scheme) subsidy payments in advance, from the end of July, to help farm cash flows.