FARMING leaders in North Yorkshire have reacted angrily to claims by Environment Secretary Margaret Beckett that their industry must "change to survive".

In an uncompromising speech at the Labour Party Conference, she said Europe would no longer accept the high prices and high taxes needed to support agriculture.

But farming leaders across North Yorkshire and Ryedale are angry at what they claim is Mrs Beckett's lack of understanding of their industry.

Mrs Beckett went on to warn that conditions for farmers would get even worse if they failed to heed her message.

"Not least among the changes that agriculture needs to make is to recognise that it must become market-oriented and consumer-focused," she told Brighton delegates.

"There is no long-term future for an industry which cannot develop in line with market forces.

"And there isn't even a rosy short-term future for an industry if it becomes completely out of tune with those on whom it depends for its markets, its custom and consequently its prospects for survival."

But Yorkshire County NFU chairman Derek Watson denied that the industry was out of touch.

"The agricultural industry is constantly changing and adapting and has been doing so to the demands of successive Governments for many years," he said.

"What Margaret Beckett has failed to grasp is that if you kill farming you kill the rural economy."

Ryedale MP John Greenway said there was nothing new in the message but that it was unfair to continually attack farmers without offering solutions.

"We are talking about serious problems which the government is unable to tackle," he said.

"The crisis in the countryside was hardly mentioned - this tragedy for the countryside was largely ignored.

"Clearly we need a unity of approach to sort these problems out but lecturing people is not the answer."

NFU north-east spokesman Rob Simpson said: "We totally agree that farming must change but the truth is that agriculture is changing and continues to do so.

"The Common Agricultural Policy is at the root of many problems and this needs a radical overhaul to help farmers look and plan to the future."

John Clark, a Cropton farmer and Yorkshire representative for the Small Farms Association, said the speech was laughable.

"How can she say that farms are out of touch with commercial reality when all MPs gave themselves a pay rise of £4,000 last year?

"How can someone who writes their own pay check say someone who earns their own money is out of touch?

"Market forces gave us salmonella, BSE and foot and mouth disease. We need a good food policy not a cheap food policy," he added.

Mrs Beckett also told delegates the Policy Commission for Food and Farming had been set up because of the recognition that "the status quo is not sustainable".

The commission has asked farmers and other people in rural areas to give their views on the future of the countryside before it reports back to Mrs Beckett at the end of the year.

Updated: 09:13 Thursday, October 04, 2001