Following a meeting with the Prince of Wales and rural UK charities including the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Fund it was announced that the Prince's Countryside fund will donate £150,000 which will be matched by the Duke of Westminster.

Hosting the meeting at Clarence House last night, The Prince of Wales said,"I have been growing increasingly concerned about the many difficulties which farmers from all sectors are facing – and are likely to face – this Winter and so I thought it was important for us to come together, hear what we each have to report and then I want to see what I can do to help through my Prince’s Countryside Fund.

When I set up my Countryside Fund in 2010 I and the trustees decided from the start that we would always keep a lump sum available to be used for any farming emergency."

Prince Charles revealed that aid from the trust had been released earlier this year but added that 2012 has been a testing year warranting the trustees to offer up more funding.

NFU Deputy President Meurig Raymond said: “The Prince’s Countryside Fund demonstrates the importance that His Royal Highness attaches to rural communities and especially farming.

“The NFU would like to thank the Prince for his continued support of farmers and growers, particularly when the industry has been hit over the past 12 months with the problems of extreme weather – drought in the first part of the year followed by flooding in many parts of the country – which has led to rocketing costs for feed and forage.

Mr Raymond added that the generosity of the donation will mean many producers have a boost at a time that is incredibly different for business.