A Hampshire farmer is calling on the county population to support farmers in the face of increasing agricultural meltdown.

Nigel Bright, farmer and chairman of the National Farmers' Union in Hampshire, said that nine out of 10 farms in England were in debt and 450 farmers and farm workers leave the industry every week.

He said: "I never thought I would see the day when our industry was on the brink of collapse.

"It's time both the Government and society as a whole woke up to the fact that this mass exodus has serious implications for the future of our countryside."

Mr Bright, who has a farm at King's Worthy, near Winchester, added: "I would urge the consumer to buy British the country's farmers and growers deserve support."

Recent figures from the NFU show that 41,000 farmers and farm workers have left the industry in a two-year period, ending June 2000.

But Mr Bright also said that conditions were improving, with the Government beginning to reduce the number of on-farm inspections.

He also stressed the importance of collaboration between farmers to secure a fair share of retail prices from produce.