AS the new chairman of the influential Country Land and Business Association (CLBA), the Hon Michael Willoughby recognises that he faces a major challenge with farming experiencing its biggest crisis for half a century.

"There are a lot of pressures, appalling commodity prices and a poor exchange rate which are each hitting not only farming but all manufacturing business," he says.

Mr Willoughby is director of Birdsall Estates Company near Malton, which owns some 12,000 acres and 15 tenanted farms. He is also a director of Birdsall Beef Co, and of the Beef Improvement Group, breeding Charolais and composite cattle from the USA.

His family which dates back some 300 years, has owned land in the area since 1724, and his father Lord Middleton lives at Birdsall house.

He takes over the CLA post from Richard Howard-Vyse of Langton, as the association widens its remit from being for many years the Country Landowners Association.

"Land and rural businesses are inter-twined - a lot of landowners are involved in tourism and other businesses today," said Mr Willoughby.

"The association's role is that of a major lobbier of both the British and European parliaments," says Mr Willoughby. "Our principle objective is to see profitability restored to agriculture - without it everything disintegrates".

While diversification has played a key part in helping a number of farms survive, for many it is a difficult step to take because of the lack of capital.

"The public would not like to see an unfarmed rural Britain. The landscape is created by its use - from trees to wheat fields. Just as people don't want to see brown field sites in urban areas, the same applies to an unfarmed landscape."

The answer, says Mr Willoughby is to find a way to provide a sustainable agricultural industry. "With the cost of production it is almost inevitable there will have to be subsidies, though - even the USA has them."

Environmental issues are also causing concern, with constraints on the use of nitrates and slurry on the land.

Another issue for farmers is having to compete with wheat imported from the Black Sea area and from Argentinian beef, he adds.

Despite the crisis caused by the foot and mouth disease last year, Britain is still importing meat from countries where the disease exists. "We are all living in a high risk situation," says Mr Willoughby.

The association now has some 3500 members in the Yorkshire and Humber region but the days when it was primarily for the large estate owners are gone. Many of today's members have 100 acres, he says. It is becoming a more professional organisation, seeking to create a 'Friends of the Countryside', and to launch a business membership for rural-related businesses.

- Mr Howard-Vyse has been appointed chairman of the CLBA's national legal and parliamentary committee. The new vice-chairman of the Yorkshire branch is Earl Peel of Masham. Four new members have been appointed to the branch committee, Simon Roberts of Pickering; John Robinson of Masham; The Earl of Ronaldshay, and Charlie Yorke of Clitheroe.

Updated: 08:44 Thursday, March 07, 2002