Shropshire farmer threw himself in front of train after modern farming pressure Herbert John Michael Batkin, 73, committed suicide on August 1 Dragged half a mile down railway tracks after jumping in front of train Had been under pressure because of fears he could lose his livelihood Wife said she heard him get up at 2am but he never came back homeÂ If you need someone to talk to, contact Samaritans on 08457 90 90 90 An elderly dairy farmer threw himself under a train after being pushed to breaking point by the stress of modern farming and fears he might lose his livelihood, an inquest heard. Herbert John Michael Batkin, 73, died from catastrophic injuries after being dragged half a mile down railway lines by a speeding train on August 1. The grandad-of-13 - known to his family as Mike - was found near to Prees Railway Station in Shropshire, close to where he lived. Herbert John Michael Batkin, 73, a grandfather-of-thirteen, died of catastrophic injuries after being dragged half a mile down railway lines after throwing himself in front of a train on August 1 An inquest heard the experienced farmer was struggling to cope with mounting financial worries and fears he might lose his livelihood. Just two days before his death police confiscated guns from his home in Prees after doctors raised concerns about his depressed mental state. On Friday John Ellery, coroner for Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin, recorded a verdict of suicide.Â Although semi-retired, Mr Batkin was still carrying out day-to-day tasks on the farm including milking the cows. Dr Martin Sullivan, who had seen the farmer just days before he died, said in a statement Mr Batkin had asked for more sleeping pills as he was worried about the farm. Dr Sullivan said: 'He had a long history of depression and noted stress with farming. He explained he wrote a note in case anything happened to him, the implication being that he might try to harm himself. He said the note was just in case and he had written it a while ago. I explained I needed to contact the police to remove his firearms. I called the police and arranged for the guns to be removed and I called the crisis team and asked them to support him. He said Mr Batkin was planning the future and agreed to go back for a review in one week. His wife, Dorothy, told the inquest that she heard her husband get up at around 2am, which was not unusual, but never heard him return. Mr Batkin's son, Kevin, said: 'Farming was just one of his worries. It is a stressful job. The industry is under quite a lot of pressure business-wise and the hours we have to do are long. You can't just switch off and you don't finish at 5pm. Mr Badkin, who was known to his family as Mike, had been suffering from depression over fears he might lose his livelihood, and had his guns taken away after doctors feared for his mental stateÂ He had not suffered from depression for over 15 years but the way the industry is at the minute must have brought it all back. 'Unfortunately, that's the state of modern British farming. More and more farmers and being left helpless and increasingly losing their farms. 'They just can't compete with big supermarkets and producers slashing milk prices like they have.' The tragedy happened the same day senior figures in the agricultural industry warned farmers are under huge pressure, with many going bankrupt. The Farming Community Network said farmers are facing a mixture of problems including bovine TB, volatile milk prices and extreme weather. Charles Smith, chief executive, added 'It is a big problem. Farmers' tough breeding means they could be more reluctant to talk about their worries for fear of appearing weak.' Last month hundreds of farmers staged a protest over milk prices outside Muller Wiseman - one of the UK's largest dairies. It came over fears they would be put out of business after Muller slashed their price of milk by 1.9 pence per litre