THE Government is pressing ahead with plans for farmers to claim subsidies via the Internet.

But the Tories warned many farmers would struggle to cope with the technology and jobs would be lost at regional service centres.

And the Ministry of Agriculture's regional service centre at Northallerton looks set to become one of the victims of the new electronic age.

The Ministry of Agriculture is aiming to be able to electronically process 95 per cent of Common Agricultural Policy claims by March 2004.

A new CAP Payments Agency is being set up. Agriculture Minister Nick Brown said: "We are committed to helping the farming industry modernise, compete and adapt to change."

Chancellor Gordon Brown announced an increase in MAFF's budget from £983m this financial year to £1.27 bn by 2003/04.

Ministers are considering closing between sixt and eight of the nine MAFF regional service centres and two Intervention Board offices.

But earlier this year they admitted that it was estimated that between just five and 25 per cent of farmers had access to the Internet.

Peter Luff MP, former chairman of the Commons Agriculture Select Committee, expects three regional service centres to survive - Exeter, Crewe and one other.

This would probably mean the closure of the Northallerton office.

Mr Luff said: "This target for getting farmers online is simply incredible. It won't work. "Older, family farmers just won't be able to cope."

But MAFF stressed farmers would still be able to claim subsidies by filling in paper forms.

A spokeswoman said Nick Brown was still considering the details of the shake-up of regional service centres. An announcement is expected next week.

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