A town which boasts of being 'The Land of Rape and Honey' may ditch its infamous slogan after nearly 60 years.

The 3,000 residents of Tisdale, Canada, are being polled on the name after some complained it was being misunderstood.

It's meant to refer to the town's once-booming oilseed rape industry, but the connotations with vile sexual assault have raised eyebrows.

The town's not even a rape capital any more, since the yellow crop used in farm feed and vegetable oil takes up less than 1% of its fields.

Even honey production has slowed, the Town Office admitted.

So chiefs have come up with alternative names including 'A Place to Bee' and 'Land of Canola and Honey', and they want townsfolk to vote.

Stephanie Koch and daughter Kadie, 3, enjoy a walk through a rapeseed field in Whitley Bay
Distinctive crop: But oilseed rape gets a bad reputation for its unfortunate name (file photo)

Director of economic development Sean Wallace told CBC : "There's passionate people who believe it should be changed and passionate people who believe it shouldn't be changed.

"It's been both famous and infamous."

He and his team are asking business owners if they advertise the slogan to customers or whether they're too ashamed.

If they do decide to ditch it, the slogan would have to be removed from the town sign.

Survey entrants have been put in a prize draw to win a gas barbecue.