THE foot-and-mouth crisis is just the latest turn in the downward spiral of British agriculture.

It's a terrible tragedy for the farming community, but it has had an impact way beyond farming, resulting in losses to tourism of £200m per week.

Out of the adversity of the foot-and-mouth disaster, we must identify opportunities for change - not just for farming, but for the countryside as a whole.

If we simply encourage farmers to continue as before, we'll miss a major opportunity to put agriculture on a more sustainable footing for the long-term benefit of farmers, rural communities and the environment.

Skylark

In Worcestershire, as elsewhere in the UK, birds such as the skylark, corn bunting, lapwing and tree sparrow - and other wildlife, such as the common blue butterfly - are being lost from the countryside at an alarming rate, while the number of people working in farming also continues to plummet.

Much more of the taxpayers' £3.5bn annual spend on agriculture needs to be directed towards environmentally-friendly farming and schemes which provide help for farmers to diversify their businesses.

Good food, a healthy environment and vibrant rural communities are what we all want. It's time that Government policy reflected our wishes.

GRAHAM WYNNE,

Chief executive for RSPB