Supermarket chain is target of tractor protest

Lorries were unable to get into the Tesco distribution centre at Nursling near Southampton.

Seven tractors and eight other vehicles were blocking the entrance to the site in Canberra Road which sends food to stores all over the south.

The group behind the protest, Farmers for Action, is calling for the supermarket giant and its counterparts to pay a fair price for their produce.

The dairy farmers from across Hampshire warned they were prepared to continue their action until police removed them.

Chairman Bruce Horn said: “We cannot go on as we are at the moment. One dairy farm is closing every day in the country.”

The group is demanding an extra 2-3p on every litre of milk sold to make dairy farming profitable. Tesco currently pays an average of 28.19p per litre.

A Tesco spokesman said today the rate the company pays its farmers is already "significantly higher" than the national average for milk, which stands at 25.77p per litre.

He said the firm had been left bemused by the protest because none of those involved in the blockade is a Tesco supplier.

Announcing a rise in its rate for farmers at the start of this month, Tesco board director Lucy Neville-Rolfe said: “We remain committed to ensuring British dairy farmers receive a fair price for the milk they supply to Tesco that is above the cost of production."