The crisis in British farming will not be helped by government handouts and "quick fixes" according to prime minister Tony Blair. Along with agriculture minister Nick Brown, Blair appealed to UK farmers at this week's NFU conference to diversify and find new sources of revenue instead of surviving on government aid. "Admitting there is a real crisis in farming is one thing, solving it is another. It is not sympathy you need," he said. And Brown, outlining a £1.6bn rural development plan and new guidelines on the origin labelling of food, said government money alone would not get farming out of the doldrums. "It does not get to the root of the problem ­ I have tried to be honest about what the government can and cannot do," he said. But frustrated farmers contined to urge the government to help them "break free" from the current crisis in their industry ­ one woman even stormed the stage to thrust a cream cake into Brown's face. NFU president Ben Gill said the effect of the strong pound, the burden of unneccesary regulations and the need to restructure a flawed system ensured farming would continue to be an industry "on its knees". He slammed the government's "obsession with red tape", saying in some cases, there were more inspectors on farms and in abbatoirs than there were workers. He said 22,000 people had left the industry between June 1998 and June 1999. "And there are no signs that this will slow up," he warned. "Thousands more will be forced to abandon their jobs because they can't afford to live off agriculture." And Gill said it was crucial for farmers to invest in technology to keep the sector efficient. "If we can't, then cheaper imports will continue to find their way onto supermarket shelves," he said. {{NEWS }}