Why are so many people raising money for farmers

A. There is an underlying belief that the foot and mouth outbreak is a crisis which is not of their own making. That's why Prince Charles, and the Duke of Westminster have funnelled �1m between them to farm-related charities, and now even newspapers are starting appeal funds.

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Q.� But isn't the truth that farmers are rich
A.� A few are, but the truth is that the average income of UK farmers last years was only �5,200.

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Q. How many livestock farms are there
A. 160,000 of them, averaging 75 acres each.

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Q. How many animals are there
A. Around 48 million.

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Q. So if only a just over a million are slaughtered, there are plenty left.
A. But the value of animals killed so far is running at �7m a week - which is a massive burden to people living on the edge. It also hits the agriculture industry in general - another �30m a week, and road hauliers lose another �5m, and the tourist industry even more so as visitors stay away from holiday areas or refuse to visit this country at all - and that's another �250m worth of lost business every week.

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Q. So what will happen to those who are hardest hit

A. Potentially bankruptcy, loss of their farms, loss of their livelihoods. Because farming is a way of life rather than just a job, there is real fear that the despair will make a number of farmers take their own lives.

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Q. So who gets the money and how
A. There are a number of charities who offer help and support but six have been singled out by Prince Charles and the Duke for� their donations.

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Q. And these are
A. The Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution; The Royal Scottish Agricultural Benevolent Institution; The ARC-Addington Fund; The Rural Stress Information Network; The Farm Crisis Network; The Samaritans.