A major centrepiece of the Norfolk farming calendar has been postponed until November amid the continued surge in Covid-19 cases.

The Norfolk Farming Conference, which was cancelled in 2021 due to the pandemic, had been due to make its post-lockdown comeback on February 10 at a new venue at the Norfolk Showground.

But frustrated organisers said the decision to reschedule was taken "as a precaution in the light of the ongoing Covid pandemic". A new date has been set for November 30.

Tickets for the event went on sale late last year, and full refunds will be issued.

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Mark Nicholas, managing director of the Royal Norfolk Agricultural Association (RNAA), said: “The Norfolk Showground looks forward to hosting the Norfolk Farming Conference on November 30, 2022.

"The conference is an important fixture for Norfolk’s farmers and producers and by re-scheduling to later in the year we can deliver a first-rate conference with greater certainty.”

Organisations including the Royal Norfolk Agricultural Association, Brown and Co, Birketts, Lovewell Blake, NatWest, Norfolk County Council and the AF Group are working together to organise the event, previously held at Norwich's John Innes Centre.

Organisers said anyone who had already booked a place to attend the Norfolk Farming Conference on February 10 will automatically be issued with a refund.

Anyone with queries about the event is asked to contact marketing@brown-co.com

An array of leading national and regional speakers were due to speak to the conference to discuss three key themes: trade challenges and opportunities, farming carbon and the environment, and water resources and flood mitigation.

Speakers who had been confirmed for the postponed February event included National Farmers' Union vice president Tom Bradshaw, Prof Paul Dolman from the UEA's School of Environmental Sciences, award-winning Norfolk farm conservationist David Lyles, and Robin Price, managing director of Water Resources East.