THE fourth farmers' market to be held at Sam Turner's in Northallerton will take place on Sunday, despite opposition from market traders in the town.

There will be about 18 stalls at Sunday's event, taking place from 10am to 2pm, selling everything from organic meat, fruit and vegetables, to beef, lamb, venison, puddings, herbs and eggs.

Sam Turner's are applying for permission to hold a farmers' market there 14 days a year, but traders in Northallerton fear this will take business away from the town centre.

Mr Paul Winn, chairman of the Hambleton and Richmondshire Market Traders' Federation, said: "We don't want to come down against farmers, because we have a lot of sympathy for their plight.

"We already have quite a few farmers that trade on this market and in Thirsk and Bedale and we are not against them selling their wares."

However, Mr Winn added that if the farmers' markets at Sam Turner's were run as rival markets, the traders would be against it as it would detract from the town centre.

Mr Winn added that the notion local farmers benefited from the farmers' markets was untrue, saying they detracted from the local farmers trading on the town's market.

However, Mr Stephen Knox, chairman of the Cledale Farmers' Market, said: "We are there to promote farming, and all the produce is top quality.

"We're not really a rival market, because there are not many things sold at the farmers market in competition with the local market. I think we would enhance the local market."