Majority of British people know little about farmers, survey finds The study, commissioned by the Prince's Countryside Fund, revealed that 5 per cent of those who took part realised that the freezing conditions between January and April led to the deaths of more than 100,000 animals. The survey of 2,047 adults was carried out by YouGov for the Prince's Countryside Fund to mark the start of National Countryside Week, which was launched by The Prince of Wales in 2011. "I hope that it will provide us all with an opportunity to celebrate the people who make our countryside the very precious national asset that it undoubtedly is," he said at the time. The Prince's Countryside Fund was formed in 2010 to support farmers and rural communities. It has since distributed more than £2 million in grants. Lord Curry, a trustee of the charity, said: "We're facing a silent crisis in the countryside. One in four farming households are living in poverty. Livestock farmers are struggling with reduced herds that will have a knock on effect for several seasons. Arable farmers are looking at a 30% reduction in crop yields. Farmers are seeing increased levels of indebtedness and the number of farmers quitting the profession is on the rise. 30 dairy farmers quit the industry in the month of April alone. He added: "Summer might be in full flourish, but we need to remind people that farmers will be counting the costs of a brutal start to the year for some years to come."