FARMERS keen to find alternative incomes are increasingly turning to the Internet, according to a recent report.
Approximately 83 per cent of the UK's 300,000 farms are connected, says a survey for the National Farmers' Union (www.nfu.org.uk).
Of the farmers online, 10 per cent said they used the Internet to sell goods and services. Advertising farm cottages and bed and breakfast accommodation were the most popular reasons given. The NFU estimates the average farmer now generates £13,000 by selling over the Internet.
Ben Gill, president of the NFU, said: "Almost overnight, the Internet has become an integral part of people's lives and farmers are no exception."
The survey, carried out last month, spoke to 1,000 farmers and growers in England and Wales.
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