Norfolk MP and Tory leadership hopeful Liz Truss has promised to "unleash British food and farming" in order to improve the country's food security.
The foreign secretary said she would "remove onerous EU regulations and red tape" if she becomes prime minister.
Ms Truss also vowed to tackle the labour shortages in farming, partly caused by post-Brexit freedom of movement restrictions, with a short-term expansion to the seasonal workers scheme.
The programme, which first launched in 2019, temporarily allows 40,000 overseas workers into the UK for seasonal roles in the horticulture and poultry sectors.
A recent government report warned that labour shortages "caused by Brexit and accentuated by the pandemic" were badly affecting the food and farming sector, often forcing farmers to leave fruit rotting in the fields and cull healthy pigs.
Ms Truss said she would also work to address longer-term skills shortages and hurdles to the adoption of labour-saving technologies.
The former environment secretary vowed to replace EU law that restricts the development of farming infrastructure and technology, including agricultural drone use and precision breeding technologies.
Ms Truss, who is due to meet farmers on a campaign stop in the south-west of England, said: "The pandemic and cost-of-living crisis have shown it is more vital than ever for us to ensure we have a high-quality and affordable supply of British food.
"As a former Defra (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) secretary of state, I understand the challenges faced by farmers, and they can trust me to deliver the changes they need.
"I will cut the red tape that is holding them back and hitting them in their pocket".
Meurig Raymond, former president of the National Farmers' Union, said: "I share her vision of a competitive, profitable and sustainable farming sector underpinned by investment in the latest technology and innovation, and a proportionate and flexible approach to regulation".
Ms Truss has played down claims she has a clear lead over rival Rishi Sunak, even as her campaign was further buoyed by endorsements of party heavyweights on a crunch weekend in the race for No 10.
She insisted it was a “very, very close race,” while trumpeting her “support from right across all parts of the Conservative Party” after gaining Tory centrist Tom Tugendhat’s backing.
The new prime minister will be announced on September 5.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here