A TENANT farmers' leader has called for commonsense on rural issues.

In a new year message, Mr Reg Haydon says the country's land area should not be treated as a political football.

"Let us listen to what farmers need and then implement sensible, commonsense policies to help rather than hamper," said Mr Haydon, national chairman of the Tenant Farmers' Association.

He said that, although rural issues had been under close scrutiny, the results had not been impressive.

While the government's much-heralded action plan for farming had some useful short-term measures, it lacked coherent, long-term perspectives, he said.

"An exception was the Haskins report on better regulation. There are some lessons to be learned from this which we should all consider carefully," said Mr Haydon. "If the conclusions reached by Lord Haskins were followed through, our agricultural industry would be in far better shape."

He said 2000 had seen enormous problems.

Excessive rainfall, flooding, low commodity prices for cereals, milk and beef and little improvement in the sheep and pig sectors had all added up to a miserable year for many in the industry.

"As yet, we don't know what 2001 has in store, but I hope some of the green shoots of recovery will continue to grow," said Mr Haydon. "We need a major turn-around in the other sectors to ensure survival for many in the tenanted sector."

With the expectation of an early general election this year, he called on all parties to think carefully about the policies they planned to include in manifestos for agriculture.

"Such an important sector, occupying three-quarters of the country's land area, should not be treated as a political football," he said.

"Neither can it be expected to be all things to all men."

He feels 2001 is a chance to put the agricultural industry back on the map, rather than letting it lagging behind the rest of Europe