WHAT now for the region's farmers? Hit hard by the BSE outbreak and then crippled by the foot-and-mouth epidemic, the future seems bleak.

But despite the despair, some organisations are determined to pick up the pieces and give the region's agricultural community something to live for.

Among them is the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institute (RABI), which has offered both financial and mental support to the farming community, which has been brought to its knees.

Christine Andrews, secretary of the North-East branch of RABI, said the crisis had brought many farmers to consider suicide.

She said: "To begin with we were taking two to three calls a day, and obviously there was a skeleton crew, but it suddenly picked up, and within weeks we were trying to take up to 350 calls a day, from farmers who just didn't know where else to turn.

"We try to help the very desperate cases with financial help, but we are only a charity, and we can't help everybody, but anyone who calls will be given advice and help, and if we can't help them personally then we will put them through to someone who can.

"But despite the situation, we try to listen to them - many of whom are suicidal because of their despair - but we listen and help and advise, that's what we do."

So far this year RABI has spent more than £8m helping farmers around the country, with many of those living in hard-hit areas such as North Yorkshire, County Durham and Cumbria. Support has come from Prince Charles and the Duke of Westminster, who both pledged £500,000 each, and donations have been pouring in since.

Mrs Andrews, from Thirsk, in North Yorkshire, said: "The support from the public has been overwhelming, but the effects of foot-and-mouth will reverberate for years.

"The epidemic may well appear to be over, but for the thousands of farmers in the region, the nightmare has just begun - they have to rebuild their lives.

"Hopefully they will come to us and ask for help - and we will do all we can to help."

To contact the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Fund, call (01865) 727888.