FARMERS claim their traditional way of life is being eroded as smaller farms struggle to survive.

A quarter of farming households are living below the poverty line as they can not make enough money from their land, and many are forced to find second jobs.

A new report by the Commision for Rural Communities found one in four farmers earns less than £20,000 per year. Between 2006 and 2009, national figures show 36 per cent of the poorest farms failed to make a profit.

Chris Butler, a north Essex farmer and member of the National Farmers’ Union, said: “I know of smaller farms that are struggling.

“We do get subsidies from the Government, but it is not enough to make small farms sustainable.

“The countryside looks the same, but in fact some of the smaller farms are having to let their bigger neighbours farm the land for them.

“That is how they survive, but it has eroded the traditional way of farming.”

He said he knew of at least ten smaller farms in the same situation, and gave an example of one farmer who works across 3,000 acres of land of which less than a third of it is his own.

Research for the commission also found the cost of rural living is between 10 and 20 per cent greater than in urban areas, and single people would need to earn an extra 50 per cent on top of a minimum wage income to makes ends meet.

But Mr Butler said: “Most farmers are self-employed and take what they get for running the farm, but it is not enough and doesn’t come up to minimum wage.

“They have to be part-time farmers and find other work as well. That is probably how they survive.”

He said factors such as the need for cars due to lack of public transport, lack of facilities such as sewage connections and broadband internet, made it more expensive to live in the countryside.

Chairman of the comission, Dr Stuart Burgess, said: “Tackling poverty amongst farming households is long overdue.

“The Government should actively promote farm business support and the take-up of income related benefits to eligible farming households.”