Norfolk's farming leaders warned the expansion of a seasonal workers visa scheme is not enough to fill a shortfall which is already leaving crops unpicked and wasted.

The government has announced an additional 8,000 fruit and vegetable pickers and 2,000 poultry workers will be given a route into the country, amid industry warnings of a food waste "crisis".

The plans were included in this week's new national food strategy, increasing the number of temporary visas available for foreign seasonal agricultural workers from 30,000 to 40,000.

Jamie Lockhart, Norfolk county chairman for the National Farmers' Union (NFU), welcomed the announcement - but said many farms are still struggling to recruit enough workers after the post-Brexit change in immigration rules.

“One of the biggest challenges facing horticultural and livestock businesses in Norfolk is shortage of labour, for both permanent and seasonal staff," he said.

“We know that fruit and vegetables are going to waste because businesses don’t have the right staff available at the right time to harvest them.

"Businesses are also scaling back on production as they can’t recruit enough workers.

“The expansion of the seasonal workers scheme is welcome but it’s not enough to fill the labour gap.

"We also welcome the government’s intention to help businesses invest in new technologies and automation but it could be years before these technologies are widely available on local farms.

“The government must take short-term actions to address the labour challenge now if it’s going to unlock the strategy’s stated ambitions for the medium and long term.”

NFU president Minette Batters also warned there was an "absolute crisis" of good food going to waste on farms across the country due to a lack of workers.

Making a House of Commons statement on the food strategy, environment secretary George Eustice said: "Our fresh produce industry has always required access to seasonal labour and I'm pleased to announce that we will bring forward another 10,000 visas for the seasonal workers route and expand the scheme to cover poultry."

He added: "We've worked closely with industry to understand precisely their needs."