RURAL businessmen and women will be calling for a brighter future at a special conference next week.

The National Farmers' Union is hosting the North West Rural Summit at Myerscough College, Bilsborrow, on Monday.

Representatives from rural businesses dependant on farming will highlight problems they are facing as a result of the agricultural crisis.

Other speakers will include Garstang pig farmer Mary Miller and Bruce Woodacre, national adviser for animal feed firm BOCM Pauls.

Visitors will be urged to sign a declaration calling for a reduction in interest rates and the weakening of the pound.

The declaration also demands a freeze in indirect taxes on UK rural businesses, financial support for UK farmers bearing added food health and safety production and processing costs, and a more commonsense approach to planning and business legislation to allow rural businesses to develop. The declaration will be sent to the region's key decision-makers, including MPs, the Bank of England and the Government's North West office.

A national NFU Rural Summit held in May found that 89 per cent of industries allied to farming laid off staff last year and highlighted a fall in farm incomes of 75 per cent.

NFU spokesman Mike Taylor said: "The aim of the summit is not only to highlight the problems we are now seeing in the rural economy, but to encourage all sectors dependent on farming to unite.

It is essential that we have a strong and united voice in order to impress upon the Government the very real problems now being felt right across the region."

Further information on the summit is available from the NFU North West office on 01695 554900.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.