Thousands of farmers gathered in London for a rally calling on the government to give the agricultural industry more help.

A petition signed by more than 500,000 people in support of Britain's farmers was delivered in potato sacks to 10 Downing Street.

The farmers urged the government to offer them and the rural community more support following a series of crises they claim are threatening the future of the industry.

The Prime Minister's official spokesman said that Mr Blair had no problem with the farmers making their views known.

"They have a right to protest and put their case," he said.

But he added that the government could not solve all the industry's problems. "There have been difficulties for the beef industry. We have done what we can to help, but there are limits to what can be done," said the spokesman.

Support for British beef

Beef farmers have protested against companies importing cheap meat from abroad. Farmers claim their livelihoods have been battered, not just by the BSE crisis, but also by the strong pound which has hit exports, encouraged more imports and cut the value of European Union subsidies.

Beef farmers have also attacked companies importing cheap meat from abroad, and are calling on shoppers to buy British.

The National Farmers Union wants Britain to apply for £980m in compensation from the EU.

European experience

The President of the National Farmers' Union, Sir David Naish, compares the British farmers' experience with that of European agriculture. "Our Irish colleagues and in Germany, Holland and eight other countries have had a strengthening currency but their governments have applied for compensation," he said.

But the UK government insists there is no pot of gold in Brussels and it would have to contribute to any sum claimed from Brussels.

The renewed pressure on the government follows warnings from the Agriculture Minister Jack Cunningham that the industry must be prepared to face a radical shake-up to make it more competitive and less reliant on farm subsidies.

He has warned that an £85m aid package announced before Christmas will not be followed with any more hand-outs and is looking to make the reform of the Common Agriculture Policy a priority during the UK's presidency of the EU.

Last week, the European Commission agreed to back a partial easing of the beef export ban by allowing exports to resume from selected herds in Northern Ireland.

However, weary farmers who have accused EU politicians of deliberately prolonging the ban to keep a competitor out of the market, fear they could still block even this limited relaxation.
 

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