Rob Warnock is a proud British farmer and the son of a proud British farmer. One day, he hopes to be the father of a proud British farmer, too.

He's also a European Union farmer, but that is not a legacy Warnock wants to pass on to his 6-year-old son.

The 44-year-old plans to vote this week for Britain to leave the EU, even though he knows it will cost his struggling dairy business dear.

Many British farmers feel the same emotional tug. But while their hearts tell them to leave, their heads urge caution. The EU is helping farmers stay afloat at a time when many are struggling.

The benefits of membership in the 28-nation EU may seem intangible to many Britons, who view it as a distant body of Byzantine bureaucracy and obscure regulations.

But farmers know exactly how much they get from the bloc. In Warnock's case it's about 40-thousand pounds (60-thousand US dollars) a year - his share of the subsidy millions of farmers across the continent receive under the EU's Common Agricultural Policy.

"Well I think the EU really holds us back as a nation. Our milk prices, which have been documented, are very low in the UK," he says.

"And I just feel that we can make our own trade deals outside the EU with other countries around the world which I think long term will benefit all the farmers in the country."

He desperately needs things to improve. The price of milk has been plunging for more than two years, hit by what Warnock calls a "perfect storm" of factors, including Russia's ban on EU imports, Chinese stockpiling of powdered milk and production increases in other EU countries.

That is disastrous for Warnock, who tends 450 dairy cows and grows barley and wheat on 650 acres (263 hectares) perched above the English Channel on Britain's south coast.

Warnock's father Jim is not so sure. He intends to vote "remain," worried the subsidies will disappear.

"I know they are saying at the moment if there is a change then we will still get it," he said. "But knowing politicians and knowing the pressure they are going to be under..."

"Leave" campaigners have vowed that the British government will step in to support farmers if the country leaves the EU. The "remain" camp says the pledge is unrealistic: the "leave" side has also promised to boost funding for the health service, maintain defence spending and much more, at a time when the government is committed to cutting public-sector spending.

Farmers have a long list of complaints about the EU, from its complex paperwork to its environmental regulations, which limit which fertilizers and pesticides they can use.

British governments in recent decades have taken a comparatively laissez-faire attitude to agriculture, reluctant to shield domestic producers from international competition.

It's a different story across the Channel in France, where agriculture accounts for a bigger slice of the economy and looms larger in the national consciousness. Militant French farmers regularly stage protests - blocking roads, dumping manure and even herding sheep in the Louvre museum to demand more support from the government.

The National Farmers Union has come out broadly pro-remain, but understands that the community is split.

"Our council met in April, discussed at great length the issues, very good debate, and they came up with the line that basically, on the balance of probabilities as we know it, at the moment farmers are best served to remain within the EU. However individual businesses may differ from that line," says Matt Ware, Head of Government and Parliamentary affairs of the National Farmers Union.

Back on the farm Warnock believes the years of ups and downs have made British farmers resilient. He describes himself as a "passionate dairy farmer" - but worries that if something doesn't change soon, passion may not be enough.

Two decades ago there were more than 35-thousand dairy farmers in Britain.

Today there are only about 10-thousand, and the NFU has estimated that 10 to 20 per cent could go out of business by the end of 2016.

Rob Warnock is a proud British farmer and the son of a proud British farmer. One day, he hopes to be the father of a proud British farmer, too.

He's also a European Union farmer, but that is not a legacy Warnock wants to pass on to his 6-year-old son.

The 44-year-old plans to vote this week for Britain to leave the EU, even though he knows it will cost his struggling dairy business dear.

Many British farmers feel the same emotional tug. But while their hearts tell them to leave, their heads urge caution. The EU is helping farmers stay afloat at a time when many are struggling.

The benefits of membership in the 28-nation EU may seem intangible to many Britons, who view it as a distant body of Byzantine bureaucracy and obscure regulations.

But farmers know exactly how much they get from the bloc. In Warnock's case it's about 40-thousand pounds (60-thousand US dollars) a year - his share of the subsidy millions of farmers across the continent receive under the EU's Common Agricultural Policy.

"Well I think the EU really holds us back as a nation. Our milk prices, which have been documented, are very low in the UK," he says.

"And I just feel that we can make our own trade deals outside the EU with other countries around the world which I think long term will benefit all the farmers in the country."

He desperately needs things to improve. The price of milk has been plunging for more than two years, hit by what Warnock calls a "perfect storm" of factors, including Russia's ban on EU imports, Chinese stockpiling of powdered milk and production increases in other EU countries.

That is disastrous for Warnock, who tends 450 dairy cows and grows barley and wheat on 650 acres (263 hectares) perched above the English Channel on Britain's south coast.

Warnock's father Jim is not so sure. He intends to vote "remain," worried the subsidies will disappear.

"I know they are saying at the moment if there is a change then we will still get it," he said. "But knowing politicians and knowing the pressure they are going to be under..."

"Leave" campaigners have vowed that the British government will step in to support farmers if the country leaves the EU. The "remain" camp says the pledge is unrealistic: the "leave" side has also promised to boost funding for the health service, maintain defence spending and much more, at a time when the government is committed to cutting public-sector spending.

Farmers have a long list of complaints about the EU, from its complex paperwork to its environmental regulations, which limit which fertilizers and pesticides they can use.

British governments in recent decades have taken a comparatively laissez-faire attitude to agriculture, reluctant to shield domestic producers from international competition.

It's a different story across the Channel in France, where agriculture accounts for a bigger slice of the economy and looms larger in the national consciousness. Militant French farmers regularly stage protests - blocking roads, dumping manure and even herding sheep in the Louvre museum to demand more support from the government.

The National Farmers Union has come out broadly pro-remain, but understands that the community is split.

"Our council met in April, discussed at great length the issues, very good debate, and they came up with the line that basically, on the balance of probabilities as we know it, at the moment farmers are best served to remain within the EU. However individual businesses may differ from that line," says Matt Ware, Head of Government and Parliamentary affairs of the National Farmers Union.

Back on the farm Warnock believes the years of ups and downs have made British farmers resilient. He describes himself as a "passionate dairy farmer" - but worries that if something doesn't change soon, passion may not be enough.

Two decades ago there were more than 35-thousand dairy farmers in Britain.

Today there are only about 10-thousand, and the NFU has estimated that 10 to 20 per cent could go out of business by the end of 2016.

Folkestone, UK - 16 June, 2016

1. Various of cows being milked

2. Farmer Rob Warnock milking cow

3. Milk bottle being filled

4. Various of farmer Rob Warnock milking cow

5. Will Warnock, brother of Rob, by cows

6. Various of farmer Rob Warnock walking with cows in field

7. SOUNDBITE (English): Rob Warnock, farmer

"Well I think the EU really holds us back as a nation. Our milk prices, which have been documented, are very low in the UK. And I just feel that we can make our own trade deals outside the EU with other countries around the world which I think long term will benefit all the farmers in the country."

8. Cows

9. SOUNDBITE (English): Rob Warnock, farmer

"That subsidy currently to our own business is not going to mean the difference to whether we survive or go out of business. It's equivalent to a couple of pence a metre on our milk cheque."

10. Farmhouse and sheep

11. Farmer Rob Warnock and his father Jim Warnock, also a farmer

12. Sheep in field

13. SOUNDBITE (English): Jim Warnock, farmer, father of Rob

"From a farming point of view the pot of money that we get each year, you know, to keep the whole farming system going could very well go. I know they are saying at the moment if there is a change then we will still get it. But knowing politicians and knowing the pressure they are going to be under."

14. Various of tractor being driven in field

London, UK - 16 June, 2016

15. Set up of Matt Ware, Head of Government and Parliamentary affairs, National Farmers Union (NFU)

16. SOUNDBITE (English): Matt Ware, Head of Government and Parliamentary affairs, National Farmers Union

"The NFU represents farmers and growers from across the country and we represent a huge range of growers, and huge range of views and businesses so we reflect that in our view. Our council met in April, discussed at great length the issues, very good debate and they came up with the line that basically, on the balance of probabilities as we know it, at the moment farmers are best served to remain within the EU. However individual businesses may differ from that line."

17. Cutaway

18. SOUNDBITE (English): Matt Ware, Head of Government and Parliamentary affairs, National Farmers Union

"The agriculture community reflects the wider community, people have there own personal views, but our job is to inform them on how it will impact on agricultural issues, and to be there to look after their best interests."

19. Cutaway