THE NFU's concerns over the state of the industry have been sharply reinforced by the findings of s survey revealing that agriculture was in the depths of despair even before the impact of foot and mouth was felt.

The Lloyds TSB Survey entitled "Focus on Farming" and conducted in February, looks at such issues as the number of hours farmers work, their views on the future of the industry and its competitiveness.

The survey found that the presents state of agriculture is generally depressed with 90 per cent of farmers saying that they are not prosperous and most considering UK farming not to be competitive.

NFU president Ben Gill said: "This report underlines some horrifying facts about the problems within the industry. The suffering of farmers is indicated by the high levels of stress revealed, and that this research was completed before foot and mouth shows how dire the situation has become in the last three months."

The survey found that the majority of farmers were not earning enough to make ends meet with 40 per cent not even making a profit before they has d deducted outgoings like personal drawings, tax and reinvestment.

Mr Gill said: "It is vital that the new Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs works with is and looks at ways to help the industry recover from one of the worst crises in history."