The biggest farming union in Britain has thrown its weight behind the country remaining in the EU.
The National Farmers' Union (NFU) says its position is "based solely on an evaluation of the agricultural merits of the case" and that it is "fully aware there are many wider issues at stake."
The NFU will not be actively campaigning in the referendum or join with any campaign groups.
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The union will not advise its members how to vote but, at a meeting on Monday, adopted a resolution which states, "The NFU council resolves that on the balance of existing evidence available to us at present, the interests of farmers are best served by our continuing membership of the EU."
Whether the vote is to stay or to leave, the NFU says it "will always lobby to obtain the best possible deal for British farmers."
Farmers in the UK and across Europe have traditionally been among the biggest recipients of EU funds although this has fallen in recent years.
The union has organised 28 roadshows across the country to enable its members to debate and discuss the key issues of the impact of leaving the EU on farming.
The announcement comes as a new poll by ORB for The Daily Telegraph, of people who said they would definitely vote in the EU referendum, puts 'Remain' ahead on 52 per cent and 'Leave' on 43 per cent, while five per cent are still undecided.
The proportion of those who said that they were certain to vote, and were backing the UK to leave the EU was at 70 per cent (unchanged), and that of those who said that they were certain to vote and back remaining in, was at 65 per cent.
The poll also found that 37 per cent of people believe leaving the EU will damage the NHS, with 33 per cent saying remaining in will harm it.
Meanwhile, in an interview with Bild, French President François Hollande said, "I hope the UK stays in the EU, as it is in the European interest," adding that, "whatever the result will be, I am in favour of initiative being taken after the referendum to allow those countries that stand for more and quicker integration to do so."
"Those who are not part of the Eurozone and do not want to join have to be fully respected as EU members. But they cannot slow down the development of the Union."
He also points out that "Europe often takes too long to decide. At the end we always manage to find a solution - whether for the banking crisis, the sovereign debt crisis, the refugee crisis, or the anti-terror fight. But we always have to pay a high price for the lost time."
On terrorism specifically, he calls for France and Germany to "agree to a budgetary effort on defence [and] act outside of Europe. Let's not rely on another power, even a friendly one, to combat terrorism."
Elsewhere, Italian finance minister Pier Carlo Padoan told the Financial Times, "Brexit is a major threat to Europe. It would certainly damage the UK in the first place, but also the rest of Europe…particularly the political consequences. It would send a strong message to those who don't like Europe that Europe can be undone."