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A policy which decides how farmers are paid post-Brexit has been announced by the agriculture minister.

Farmers will receive an area-based Sustainability Payment, with farms of five hectares and over able to apply.

Payments will be progressively capped above £60,000 per farm business.

Smaller farms, three hectares and above, can apply for a Farming With Nature package, with a focus on creating and restoring habitats to reverse the biodiversity decline.

Grass growers who do not actively farm the land they use will not be eligible for payments.

The Future Agricultural Policy has four key themes - increased productivity, environmental sustainability, improved resilience and an effective supply chain.

It will see a change in how beef is produced by reducing the age at which a cow first calves and the age at which an animal goes to slaughter.

There will also be a genetics programme to improve the quality of the national herd.

And farmers will be encouraged to adopt low emission practices as part of Farming for Carbon, including changing how, when and what fertilisers are used.

The current Single Farm Payment accounts for the bulk of a farmer's income.

Mr Poots told the assembly it would not be "a big bang or a sudden shock" for farmers.

"It's going to be a progressive scheme which delivers that efficiency over the course of five years," the minister said.

"And we will then deliver substantial kilos of animal protein, but we'll do it in a much more efficient way which will enable then other uses of land to kick into play, and meet our carbon contributions that have been requested of us by this house."

Most of the changes in the policy are not expected to be introduced before 2024.