ONE of West Craven's best known businesses is in the hands of the receivers as the crisis in agriculture continues to take a heavy toll.

Peter White Limited, based at the Old Goods Yard in Elslack, has seen its core business in the sale and distribution of agricultural machinery fall away drastically over recent months.

With first the beef crisis and now fresh fears over the safety of sheep and lambs for human consumption, farmers have been hit hard and forced to tighten their belts, making savings and cutbacks wherever possible. Investment in new machinery has been one of the first cost-cutting measures.

Such belt tightening has caused a severe knock-on effect for businesses serving agriculture such as Peter White Limited. The company also diversified into mountain bike sales, but that was not enough to counter the rapid decline of the main agricultural business.

Now administrative receivers from the Leeds office of Ernst and Young have been called in by the NatWest Bank to oversee the running of the Elslack business while a buyer is sought for the site.

Owner Peter White commented: "It's all happened in the last three or four months really, since the latest scare over sheep and lambs. It's hitting everyone in the trade, not just us. It's just died."

He confirmed the business and site were being advertised and marketed, but in the meantime it would be business as usual. A number of people had already shown interest in the site, which has planning permission for industrial use.

The firm used to employ 10 people but was now being run by a skeleton staff.

"Nearly everyone here has found alternative employment but a couple have stayed on to keep things ticking over," said Mr White.

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