LIVESTOCK numbers are declining at an alarming rate, according to figures released by Defra from its June 2005 survey of agriculture.

The pig herd has fallen by more than ten per cent, while dairy herds and sheep flocks have fallen by nearly five per cent each. The only rise is in the beef herd, up by two per cent, but that is likely to be short-lived.

"Farmers face intense pressure from low-priced imports coming from countries where wages, welfare standards, environmental protection and health and safety obligations are significantly lower than in this country, and after many years of struggling to make ends meet, livestock farmers are beginning to give in and give up," said Richard White, farm management consultant with Strutt and Parker, which has offices in Moreton.

He warned: "This is potentially disastrous for our efforts to maintain a degree of self-sufficiency and for the rural landscape."

Arable farming is also on the decline. The area of the country's main arable crop, wheat, declined by six per cent, barley was down by eight per cent and the oat area by 18 per cent.

The area of land left fallow has risen dramatically, indicating that arable prices are so low that many farmers have simply decided not to crop their less productive areas at all.

Mr White said: "This dramatic reduction in farming activity is very worrying. It results not only from the low prices resulting from unrestricted imports from an over-supplied market, but also from this year's huge change of emphasis of subsidy support, away from the commodity itself and towards the wider environment."