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."

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 it was unfair to continually attack farmers.

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

NFU north-east spokesman Rob Simpson said: "We 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.

Updated: 10:57 Wednesday, October 03, 2001