UK – Protest group Farmers For Action (FFA) has called off its plans to blockade distribution centres of supermarket chain Tesco over a dispute about milk and produce prices.

FFA agreed yesterday not to block the depots after Tesco commercial director Colin Smith and director Steve Murrell agreed to meet with the group.

FFA believes that Tesco is responsible for UK farmers receiving what the group claims are low prices for milk, meat, fruit and vegetables. It says that the low prices paid by Tesco for produce set trends in the market because of the supermarket’s size.

It also claimed hat Tesco was planning to cut the price paid for milk 2p (0.03 euros) a litre to 18p (0.29 euros).

This is not the first time that Tesco has angered British farmers. Since last October, FFA has repeatedly blocked Tesco distribution depots.

In March 2000, dairy farmers picketed Tesco depots, claiming the low prices it paid for milk were destroying their livelihoods.

FFA is the group that organised large-scale fuel-price protests in the UK in 2000.