Whichever Government is elected on June 7 will have to help farmers ravaged by a series of misfortunes. So what will earn their vote?

Rob Simpson, press officer of the Yorkshire and North East National Farmers Union, reports

With a General Election getting ever closer, it would be neglectful of me not to examine what Yorkshire's farming industry wants from the next Government.

As we work through the foot-and-mouth crisis, it is difficult to gaze any further than the latest outbreaks in North Yorkshire. A new cluster around Settle has served as a stark reminder that this epidemic is far from over. And yet everyone in the farming community is desperately trying to introduce a semblance of normality back into their lives and businesses.

Dozens of North Yorkshire farmers cleared out by the scourge of foot-and-mouth will be looking to rebuild their businesses from scratch, and the whole of the industry is in a state of turmoil. But for many there will never be a better time to look at the structure and operation of their businesses.

Farmers must now resume their economic recovery - brought to a halt by foot-and-mouth disease - after years of plummeting farm incomes which brought the industry to its knees.

A commitment from the next Government to the agricultural industry is desperately needed. Regardless of which party wins the election, British farmers need to be allowed to secure a sustainable economic future within the wider rural economy.

This is an the opportunity for prospective MPs of all parties to reveal what they will do to assist farmers who have seen their incomes fall by nearly two-thirds, witnessed 59,000 agricultural job losses and watched their borrowings soar to £10 billion since the last election.

The Government's support for new marketing structures, British meat, non-food crops and a more equitable balance between environmental and farming issues is desperately needed.

That includes support for such crops as short rotation coppice - a fast-growing variety of willow - which farmers can grow to supply new environmentally friendly wood-burning power stations such as the one at Eggborough, near Selby. NFU President Ben Gill had a harvester on his farm near Easingwold only a few weeks ago to cut his first wood crop.

British farmers and growers have already tried to lessen the pressures they face through improved marketing, controlling costs and diversifying. The NFU has been supporting them in their efforts vigorously.

The launch of the British Farm Standard (the little red tractor food logo) last summer is a key example of these efforts. But the next Government can play a major role in helping the industry help itself to secure a better future by

* Promoting and encouraging farmers' and growers' entrepreneurial spirit

* Ensuring that its economic policies recognise the needs of farmers, including paying all compensation available from Europe to offset exchange rates

* Ensuring that all regulation is proportionate to risk and does not "gold-plate" European requirements

* A reform of the Common Agricultural Policy to promote better returns from the market place and a more efficient agriculture.

Since the last election, British farmers and growers have faced the worst times they, their parents and even their grandparents can remember.

The next election will be critical in the history of the industry. British farmers know that working with the Government, they can meet the nation's demands for high quality food, a beautiful countryside and a healthy environment. The next Government must take this opportunity.