AT York Livestock Centre's Christmas Fatstock Show, the champion heifer, bred by Norman Ellis, of Colton and reared and fattened by Keith Bowes, of Bilbrough, was sold for £1,362.50 to S&A Barker butchers, with shops in York and Nether Poppleton.

Mr Bowes, who reared the prize heifer, said: "Things generally are a little bit better on the beef side at the moment but not a lot. I can't see it getting any better because of the strong pound bringing in imports."

But he admitted the French BSE crisis was helping matters to a certain extent and customers were more confident that buying British meant buying a safe product.

"They're putting all the safeguards in place now that we put in five years ago," he said.

Meanwhile Nigel Stephenson, from Stephenson auctioneers and valuers, said the farming industry would not get back on its feet until it received Government backing.

He said: "What most of us would like to do at the moment is to grow watercress and rice.

"The feeling is that agriculture has been deserted by the Government and we're left to fend on our own. We're not a welcome part of the economy. And the most ludicrous thing is that the French ban our beef, theirs has BSE all over it and we let it in to the country. What sort of a Government would do that ?"