TEN years ago, Richard Otterburn gave up farming to make ice cream - and he's glad he did.

He says he was forced to pull out to avoid spiralling debt and overwork, problems he believes more and more farmers will face in coming years.

"Looking back over the last ten years, life has become so much easier," said Mr Otterburn, who owns Ryeburn Ice Cream Factory in Helmsley.

"There was no way we could stay in farming. We were working all the hours God sends and relying on borrowing money to survive.

"Often, farmers get very little for the food they produce and the supermarkets cream off the profits. If things don't change many farmers will go under."

Mr Otterburn runs the factory and a cafe on the site of his former farm in the town. The site was farmed for more than 100 years by Mr Otterburn and his family and he is still in regular contact with friends in the industry.

"For years, it was a thriving mixed and, afterwards, dairy farm," he said. "But things became progressively worse after the Common Market. Britain was the only country being forced to abide by the rules and regulations.

"We started making ice cream 14 years ago but we eventually decided there was no point in continuing farming. We gave it up to concentrate full time on the ice cream business and we have never looked back."

The family now run a successful business and feel they were lucky to get out of farming when they did.

"The only future for many farmers will be to diversify, like we did. I feel sorry for farmers today," he said. "It was hard ten years ago but it's getting harder as time goes by. Fewer young people are going into the industry because they see no future in it.

"What concerns me is that many upland farmers, who have it worse than anyone, will eventually be paid curators to look after the countryside.

"I don't ever see a time when we won't have farmers in this country. Farmers will remain a dying breed unless policies change."

Updated: 10:11 Thursday, February 28, 2002