THE year will be remembered as the annus horribilus of British agriculture, a Euro MP has said.

Neil Parish, South West MEP Conservative chairman of the European Parliament's agriculture committee, said confirmation of the avian influenza H5N1 outbreak was a "terrible blow" for the countryside.

Mr Parish said: "As soon as we believe we've put one disease behind us, another seems to emerge.

"We all hope foot and mouth is firmly behind us, but bluetongue is likely to remain with us until a vaccine can be developed and bird flu outbreaks are an ongoing possibility.

"At this difficult time, we need more resources on the ground to assist with animal health around the country."

Mr Parish said cuts to animal disease teams must be restored and the government should also listen sympathetically to any local authority asking for additional funding support.

John Riddell, chairman of the South West poultry board of the NFU, said the outbreak was the last thing that farmers needed.

Small sized farms and organic farms in the south west contribute 20 percent of poultry production to the UK and, because of the small scale, employ a great many people.

Mr Riddell warned that if more support was not given to British agriculture, in future food might have to come from abroad.

"We started the year with bird flu with Bernard Matthews. We might end the year with bird flu," he said.

"The best way to help agriculture through this crisis is not to say I won't buy it'. The best way to go about helping is to insist when you go to your retailer that you buy British chicken.

"Our chicken have the best welfare and hygiene standards of the world. We do everything that Europe asks of us and on top of that we do everything that the British government requires."

Mr Riddell said cereal prices had shot up, but retailers had not increased food prices to compensate, and milk prices had finally risen but had taken a long time to do so.

"Nobody sensible runs a business that they know is going to make a loss. We are not paying the price that is needed. We will shut British farms and end up with no British agriculture at all."

Ian Johnson, South West spokesman for the National Farmers' Union, said people should not be put off poultry or eggs and the virus did not impact on human health.