THE farming industry set its troubles aside at the weekend to stage a major show of defiance at the North Yorkshire County Show.

Agricultural leaders pledged to fight for a brighter future for the beleaguered industry as thousands of people flocked to the popular fair at South Otterington showground, near Northallerton.

The bumper crowds were treated to an agricultural fair with a difference, thanks to a string of new initiatives brought in by new show secretary Bryan Taylor.

Mr Taylor was at the helm for the first time after replacing show stalwart Peter Pybus, who stepped down last year having fulfilled the role for more than two decades.

Daredevil stunt riders performed breathtaking fire jumps in the main ring, before the event finished with entertainment from last year's crowd favourites, the Bavarian Stompers.

The National Farmers' Union also used the show to send out a positive "British is best" message to consumers.

NFU Northallerton branch secretary Peter Edmonds launched a petition calling for greater Government aid for farmers and said the industry locally was starting to fight back.

Looking to the future, Mr Edmonds said: "We should see a far more environmentally-sensitive industry and a far more dynamic industry in the sense that we will be moving not into traditional production, but alternative sources of production.

"We will have to be more aware of the environment in which we are selling our products and if we manage to do this, we will finish with an industry which we are proud of and we will certainly keep Britain farming."