BEET farmers hit by the closure of York's British Sugar factory are being encouraged to grow energy crops instead, under a proposed rescue strategy.

East Yorkshire group Renewable Energy Growers (REG) has put together a comprehensive package to try to provide beet farmers with help and support to grow a viable alternative crop.

The group, which is based at Market Weighton, is run by farmers for farmers and is a major producer of energy crops such as willow. It also supplies Drax Power Station with green fuel from energy crops.

REG chief executive Tony Holmes said: "Beet farmers are in an appalling situation with many facing severe financial losses through the closure of the British Sugar plant at York. We are offering a new opportunity for them to convert to growing energy crops such as willow or miscanthus, a type of grass.

"Energy crops are a growing market and we have major contracts in place to supply power stations such as Drax for the next ten years and beyond. We can offer farmers a secure income for the foreseeable future."

About 1,300 sugar beet growers supply the British Sugar factory in Plantation Drive, off Boroughbridge Road, but many will lose income when the plant closes next year.

Mr Holmes said: "As a farmers group, we have great sympathy for the plight of these beet growers and we will provide them with a full package to get them growing viable alternatives at minimal cost to themselves."

He said the group could supply and plant the crop, look after harvesting, process the crop and transport it, as well as helping obtain aid from the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) to cover start-up costs.

Mr Holmes said: "Some of our members grow both beet and energy crops, and we can assure farmers that these crops can produce good profits with the advantage of little capital investment and low growing costs."

Martin Wiles, an NFU Selby member, said: "The act of growing crops for renewable energy is a very good one and certainly something we would encourage the Government to put more investment in."

But he said there were also downsides, and some farmers had voiced concerns about the effect of willow roots on drainage systems.

He said: "There are plenty of crops that may well feature in the future, but it's a case of setting up the systems to cope with the processing of those crops, and how effective these can be used to put energy in to the National Grid."